Abuja: The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Commodities Development Initiative (CDI) and other stakeholders, has validated the National Soybean Expansion Strategy aimed at increasing Nigeria’s soybean production by an additional 460,000 metric tonnes. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, announced this at a national workshop on the Validation of the National Soybean Expansion Strategy.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Sen. Kyari, represented by Mr. Ibrahim Alkali, Senior Technical Adviser, emphasized the ministry’s focus on value chain development that is private sector-driven, food-secure, and export-oriented. He assured that the ministry is committed to providing the necessary policy and institutional support to advance the strategy. The strategy’s inclusive, action-oriented approach received praise for its formulation.
The minister highlighted the strategic importance of soybean for nutrition, livestock feed, and foreign exchange. He expressed satisfaction with the strategy’s direction and called for private sector-led implementation with robust government support. Furthermore, he instructed relevant departments within the ministry to incorporate the strategy into national planning frameworks and align its objectives with broader agro-industrial policies.
Mr. Roland Oroh, Managing Director of CDI, underscored the strategy’s collaborative and multi-stakeholder nature. He stated that the validation’s objective was to increase Nigeria’s soybean production by an additional 460,000 metric tonnes through a coordinated approach that enhances productivity, expands cultivated areas, improves processing capacity, and opens both domestic and export markets. Oroh described the soybean expansion strategy as a practical roadmap developed with input from farmers, processors, exporters, investors, and government actors.
Oroh also noted that the workshop gathered key public and private stakeholders in the soybean value chain. The partnership aims to mobilize investments, strengthen farmer linkages, support agro-industrial processing, and position Nigeria as a competitive source of non-GMO soybeans. A significant highlight of the workshop was the signing of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework under the Nigeria Soybean Partnership, led by a coalition of stakeholders. These stakeholders are tasked with implementing the strategy and coordinating interventions across the entire soybean value chain.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the workshop was organized by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in partnership with the National Soybean Association of Nigeria, Oil Seed Processors Association of Nigeria, and CDI. Other collaborators included the Dawanu Market Development Association.
