Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, on Monday met with a high-level delegation from the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC) to explore collaborative opportunities aimed at boosting soybean production and value addition in the state.
The meeting, held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, took place shortly before the commencement of the Omituntun 2.0 Mid-Term Leaders Retreat.
The USSEC delegation was led by Kevin Roepke, Regional Director for South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, and included Dr. Tola Johnson, Chair of the Soy Excellence Centre Nigeria, and Foluso Alabi, USSEC Country Lead for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Governor Makinde, in a post shared on his official Facebook page, said the discussions focused on potential collaborations between the Oyo State Government and USSEC, particularly in the area of accelerated soybean production.
“Our discussions centred on possible collaboration and partnerships between the Oyo State Government and USSEC.
“I highlighted our accelerated soybean production initiative in Oyo State,” Makinde wrote.
The governor also disclosed that the talks included ways in which USSEC could support Oyo State in the production of non-GMO, organic soybean for the export market.
Other key areas of interest were increased soybean utilisation and value addition in foods, animal feeds, and industrial applications.
Makinde equally reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to agricultural industrialisation as a cornerstone of the Omituntun 2.0 agenda while emphasizing the importance of attracting strategic international partnerships to drive the state’s agro-economic development.
He further revealed that he would be presenting at USSEC’s flagship event, “Nigeria Now”, scheduled to hold on June 25, 2025, in Lagos.
“As I said to the team, I am looking forward to presenting at the USSEC annual signature event tagged, ‘Nigeria Now’ coming up on 25 June 2025 in Lagos,” Makinde said.