Africa’s food market is estimated to be worth $1 trillion by 2030 and Sterling Bank is aiming to drive discourse for local investments on the continent to tap into these opportunities.
The bank is aiming to achieve this through its agriculture summit, which has been scheduled for September 5 and 6 in Abuja with the theme “Agriculture – Your Piece of The $1tr Economy.”
Yemi Odubiyi, executive director, Corporate and Investment Banking, said the bank and its partners hope to reposition Nigeria through agriculture to achieve food security on the continent.
“Food security is a major threat in Nigeria. We will not be able to stabilise this country until we solve the issue of food security, which we are at the forefront,” he said. “We are trying to address issues of food security and job creation in the country.”
On her part, Bukola Awosanya, group head, Agric Finance and Solid Minerals of the bank, said agriculture has been one of the bank’s focal areas, adding that the summit would cover the entire African continent, compared to last year, which was limited to Nigeria.
She explained the bank has been promoting agriculture actively, noting that it was the first commercial bank involved in the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) having taken agriculture to be an important sector in the country.
CALEB OJEWALE
