NDDC pushes for food security, job creation in upcoming summit

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is set to mount a world class agric investment summit. The upcoming summit is expected to open financing windows up to $5bn to help begin an agric revolution.

This is said to be part of a food security project by the interventionist Commission in its move from transaction to transformation.

The agric revolution backed by the Federal Government is expected to bring food back to the region.

For long, the Niger Delta region has been turned into consumer zone in food and manufactured goods. The region which was known to produce and supply fish, garri, palm oil, etc, to the rest of Nigeria has been pushed into a consumer region and importer of items.

The reason is not far-fetched. The oil boom that began at about 1960 attracted many waves of migration into the region, thus creating millions of mouths but no hands to produce food. This turn of event attracted a wave of suppliers across the country and beyond that pursued demand to wherever it was found and turned the oil region into a high-cost economy.

Now, the NDDC is set to restore the ability of the region to produce for others.

With the intervention of the NDDC, the greenery that once draped the Niger Delta landscape now looks set to return. After many years of pollution from oil exploration and exploitation, the Niger Delta environment yearns for revitalisation.

The spark for the restoration journey begins with the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Summit (NDADIS) taking place in Abuja on July 15, 2026. Insiders said it is expected to unlock thousands of agricultural jobs, transform the region’s economy, and improve food security in Nigeria’s oil-rich region.

Organised by the office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in collaboration with the NDDC, the investment summit would be anchored on the theme: “Unlocking Investment for Sustainable Agricultural Transformation in the Niger Delta.”

According to Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, the investment summit will present a platform to leverage the region’s vast agricultural potential, attract $5 billion in investment and create over 500,000 jobs over the next five years.

Hadejia said that the high-profile Summit would formally launch the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Fund, inaugurate a High-Level Coordinating Platform for agricultural development and investment, and define a demand-side strategy to generate a credible pipeline of investible agricultural opportunities.

Insiders admit that the road to the summit began with a regional workshop convened by the NDDC in 2025, with support from the Niger Delta state governors, who delegated their state commissioners, permanent secretaries, and directors of agriculture to attend. The workshop set the stage for the Abuja summit.

Following the successful workshop, Samuel Ogbuku, the NDDC Managing Director, met with Kashim Shettima, the Vice President, to review the state of agricultural development in the Niger Delta and plan the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Summit.

The summit is tied directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agrarian programme under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is known for its rich biodiversity and agricultural potential. It, however, faces numerous challenges that hinder the growth and sustainability of its agricultural sector and associated value chains.

The Agric Summit aims to reframe challenges as opportunities for sustainable food security in the region. Niger Delta Region that boasted of over 80% farmers.

The summit will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to come together and address the challenges facing the sector, including limited access to financing, low youth participation, and gaps in the agricultural value chain.

The summit’s emphasis on youth empowerment and job creation is also commendable.

Key benefits expected include access to financing, improving infrastructure, and promoting technology adoption. The NDDC is said to have taken up the challenge to lead the way back to farming with modern implements.

The Commission seems to respond to the call by the FG for a return to agriculture, and has already distributed over 100 tractors to State Ministries of Agriculture in the nine Niger Delta states to boost food production.

The NDDC’s interventions stimulate economic growth, and create employment opportunities across the region.

On her part, Winifred Madume, the NDDC Director of Agric and Fisheries, said the Commission was determined to make the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of the Federal Government a reality in the Niger Delta region by ensuring food security for the people.

The NDDC is partnering with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on a $60 million.

There is also the disbursement of microcredit facilities to NDDC-trained farmers. The Abuja summit is expected to produce a comprehensive master plan for the region’s agriculture”.