By Moses Nosike

At the recently concluded 2025 edition of the FirstBank Agric & Export Expo held in Lagos, management of the bank has tasked policymakers, those in the agribusiness space and other stakeholders that now is the right time in our country, Nigeria to build a resilient economy through collective approach towards investing in the non-oil exports.

Speaking at the conference on the theme, The Fundamentals of Building an Export-Driven Economy, the Managing Director/CEO, FirstBank Group, Olusegun Alebiosu said, “Over the years, this gathering has grown into a defining platform, a testament to FirstBank’s unwavering commitment to advancing Nigeria’s economic priorities. The Expo reflects our shared vision for a stronger, more resilient economy, one anchored on food security, agribusiness, solid minerals, and most critically, the expansion of non-oil exports”.

Alebiosu said, “As a nation, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in our economic journey, one that demands bold diversification beyond oil and the harnessing of the vast opportunities in our non-oil sectors. The FirstBank Agric & Export Expo stands as a beacon for collaboration, innovation, and sustainable growth. Together, we can chart a course that secures our future prosperity and positions Nigeria as a competitive force in the global marketplace”.

The plenary sessions provided a strategic overview of pathways to accelerate growth in agribusiness and non-oil exports, led by both policymakers and private sector leaders. It also brought together industry experts to explore practical strategies for repositioning these sectors as core drivers of economic growth.

According to him the renamed FirstBank Agric & Export Expo reflects our renewed and unwavering commitment to positioning non-oil exports as a transformative force in Nigeria’s economy. By fostering collaboration, driving innovation and making strategic investments, we can unlock the full potential of our agricultural value chain and open new pathways to shared prosperity.

It is my firm belief that the ideas, partnerships and commitments shaped here will lay the foundation for a new era of growth; not only for Nigeria but for Africa as a whole.

In addition, the Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari represented by the Special Adviser on Technical Affairs to the Agriculture Minister, Ibrahim Alkali, Kyari said, “Nigeria spends over $10b annually on food imports such as wheat, rice, sugar, fish, as well as tomato paste. Agriculture which already contributes 25 per cent of the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and employs 35 per cent of the workforce, sits on 85 million hectares of urban land, with a youth population of over 70 per cent under the age of 30, yet, Nigeria accounts for less than 0.5 per cent of global agricultural exports.

Acknowledging that food sovereignty is the core, the minister insisted that Nigeria must not only feed herself but to do on its own terms, free from excessive dependency on imports.

He said, “sovereignty means ensuring that no Nigerian goes hungry because of shocks in the global supply chain, allowing every community to stand on the strength of the land, the people, and the productivity”.