The Ogun State Government has inaugurated a Multi-Stakeholder Agribusiness Forum (MAF) under the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme, a strategic platform aimed at deepening private-sector participation, strengthening value-chain coordination, and creating a more enabling environment for agribusiness growth across the state.

Commissioner for Agriculture, Bolu Owotomo, announced the initiative during a two-day high-level engagement on the establishment of the forum. He said the MAF is designed to ensure that SAPZ interventions deliver measurable benefits to farmers, particularly youths and women, while supporting Governor Dapo Abiodun’s broader agenda of agricultural transformation, food security, job creation, and rural poverty reduction.

Owotomo emphasised that the forum will play a central role in sustaining agribusiness operations by improving stakeholder collaboration and ensuring that policies and initiatives remain aligned with industry needs.

National Programme Coordinator, Dr. Yusuf Kabir, represented by the National Rural Institution and Development Expert, Mr. Abel Ameh, explained that the MAF provides a formal structure for continuous dialogue and cooperation among key actors across the agricultural value chain. These include smallholder farmers, large-scale processors, service providers, financiers, policymakers, and research institutions.

Kabir noted that the platform is designed to strengthen linkages, promote joint problem-solving, and ensure that SAPZ interventions respond to the priorities of all stakeholders.

“This forum will catalyse inclusive growth by promoting shared ownership, transparency, and accountability in the implementation of SAPZ activities,” he said. “It will also bridge the information gap between producers and markets, enhance policy coherence, and accelerate the adoption of innovations to make agribusiness in Ogun State more competitive and resilient.”

The launch of the MAF marks a significant step in Ogun State’s push to modernise agriculture and build a more integrated and sustainable agribusiness ecosystem.