Nigeria, France target agribusiness partnership

Nigeria and France have identified agribusiness and food systems as priority areas for deeper bilateral cooperation, with both sides calling for partnerships in value chains, logistics, agro-processing, and agricultural technology.

The call was made at the France-Nigeria Business and Human Capital Development Forum held in Lagos on Wednesday, organised by the Lagos Business School.

France’s Ambassador to Nigeria and Representative to ECOWAS, Marc Fonbaustier, said Nigeria had yet to reach its full potential as a food powerhouse despite possessing the resources to do so.

“You should become, I think, the agri-food hub of Africa one day. You have the means to reach that. But in France, we have probably expertise in value-added chains, transformation and processing, the way to cool food and to store it, the way to process it and to distribute the food to markets,” he said.

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Fonbaustier stressed that any collaboration should be built on equal footing, saying he insisted on “co-construction, respecting the partner and the sovereignty of Nigeria.” He also pledged France’s support for Nigerian universities, researchers, start-ups, and businesses across the agricultural value chain.

He added that the number of Nigerian students studying in France had grown by 283 per cent over the past five years, describing human capital development as a central pillar of the bilateral relationship.

“France is committed to walking this journey alongside Nigeria, not as a spectator, not as a competitor, but as a trusted, renewable, predictable and long-term partner,” Fonbaustier said.

Dean of Lagos Business School, Prof Olayinka David-West, said agriculture was one of the critical sectors requiring stronger collaboration, noting that a lack of data in the sector was driving poor decision-making.

“Technical assistance and the ability to co-create structures and systems is one of those areas,” she said.