Moroccan agency mull investment in onion, sesame in Yobe
The Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency, has pledged to mobilise investment in the area of agriculture particularly Gum Arabic onion and sesame production in Yobe state.
The agency also highlighted the opportunities in green energy.
Mr Yassine El Ahyani, Head of Emerging Industries of the agency gave the indication on Monday in Rabat, Morocco when he received an investment delegation from Yobe State, led by the Secretary to the State Government, Baba Malam Wali.
He said agricultural resources like Sesame seeds and Gum Arabic have huge potentials and value in the international market.
“An investment in the agricultural sector would produce a win-win result to the investors and their partners in Yobe state because of the increasing demand for agricultural products,” he noted.
Yassine said there are also opportunities in green energy for local use and export. “This is another area that we need to explore to have another win-win situation in the state.”
Earlier, leader of the delegation and Secretary to the State Government, Baba Malam Wali, assured the Moroccon Investment and Export Development Agency that Yobe already has favourable conditions to attract investors.
“We have good incentives and excellent investment opportunities for investors in agriculture especially Sesame Seeds, Gum Arabic, beans, groundnut and other crops,” he said.
According to him, the government has since rolled out policies to promote direct investment and ease of doing business.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Alhaji Mustapha Goniri, also said the state has the best onion specie in the world, which is being cultivated in Geidam and other parts of the state,
“We’ll welcome collaboration with the agency to have strategic investments in that regard.
“The Yobe state cargo airport would facilitate quick delivery of the products to all parts of the globe,” Goniri added.
Some of the investors at the meeting indicated interest in getting onion’s samples from Yobe to determine the quality and best preservation methods before investing in onion farming for export.
Alhaji Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe, Chief Executive Officer of the consulting firm African Network, assured completion of the documentation procedure for timely start of the investment processes.
“We are totally committed to ensuring the success of all the partnerships for the benefit of all parties involved,” he said.
