Nigeria has been positioned as a priority destination for multi-billion-dollar investments from the United Arab Emirates, with agriculture emerging as a key sector for capital inflows.
Speaking at the inaugural Investopia Africa event in Lagos, the UAE’s Minister of Investment, Mohamed Alsuwaidi, stated that Gulf capital remains significantly underexposed to Africa’s largest economy, despite Nigeria’s scale, resources and growing trade links.
Discussions at the event focused on opportunities across agriculture, technology, infrastructure, mining and trade, with potential investments ranging from hundreds of millions to several billions of dollars, depending on regulatory clarity, project readiness and access to credible local partners.
Alsuwaidi identified agriculture as a central pillar of the UAE’s investment interest, particularly in export-oriented production and value-chain infrastructure.
He noted that UAE-linked firms already have stakes in global agribusiness players and see Nigeria as a strong candidate for investment in agricultural land, processing and logistics, especially where projects support sustainable livelihoods and climate-resilient food systems.
Such investments, he stated, could support large-scale production for export markets while creating jobs across farming, storage, transport and agro-processing sectors critical to absorbing Nigeria’s growing youth population.
The UAE minister highlighted infrastructure, covering power, water, transport and wastewater recycling, as essential to unlocking broader economic growth.
He also described technology as a major growth area, citing smart metering, fibre-optic networks, data centres and cloud services as capital-intensive sectors with strong long-term returns.
Mining and solid minerals, including lithium and rare earths, were also flagged as high-potential sectors, provided Nigeria continues to invest in enabling infrastructure and regulatory frameworks.
However, Alsuwaidi cautioned that translating interest into firm commitments would depend less on trust and more on market understanding, data availability and partner identification.
He stressed that business-to-business engagement would play a greater role than government-led initiatives in closing deals, describing forums such as Investopia as critical platforms for relationship-building and deal origination.
According to trade data cited at the event, non-oil trade between Nigeria and the UAE reached $4.3bn in 2025, underscoring the growing economic ties between both countries.
The Chief Executive Officer of Investopia, Dr Jean Fares, believes the UAE’s strength lies in its role as a global trade and investment hub, offering Nigerian producers access to markets across Asia and Europe through advanced logistics, digital infrastructure and financial systems.
He added that the UAE is increasingly focused on deploying capital into underrepresented markets such as Nigeria, particularly in projects that combine scalability with long-term economic impact.
Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said the federal government is committed to facilitating investment deals and supporting private-sector partnerships across the country.
She highlighted agriculture, solid minerals, nano-exports and infrastructure as priority areas, noting that state governments, particularly Lagos, are actively involved in preparing bankable projects.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu mentioned that the state has invested heavily in transport, digital connectivity and security to ensure it can absorb large-scale investments, while officials from the Nigerian Ports Authority confirmed that port modernisation projects are underway to support growing trade volumes.
Participants at the Investopia Africa event agreed that sustained engagement, credible partnerships and project execution will determine how quickly investment interest translates into jobs, exports and long-term economic transformation, particularly in agriculture and allied sectors critical to Nigeria’s future.
Source: Punch News
Image Credit: Gov. Sanwo-Olu
