President Tinubu Seeks JBS Investment to Fight Hunger
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged JBS S.A., one of the world’s leading meat processing companies, to invest in Nigeria’s livestock sector, citing the current hunger crisis in the country.
This call came on Thursday during a signing ceremony of a Letter of Intent between the Nigerian government and JBS S.A. in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In his address, President Tinubu highlighted the government’s renewed focus on attracting both international and local investment to strengthen the agricultural value chain, particularly in livestock.
He emphasized that such investments would help resolve the persistent farmer-herder conflicts, combat hunger and poverty, and foster economic prosperity.
Tinubu underscored the significant potential for investment in Nigeria’s livestock sector, noting the country’s population size and the $2.5 billion worth of investment opportunities available.
He called on JBS S.A. to recognize this potential and partner with Nigeria in advancing food security.“We’ve heard so much about you in terms of the reputation, and we believe in the partnership we are forging today.
Food security is extremely important. As we talk right now, there is hunger. However, there is huge hope. And you are one of those hopes that we are looking at,” said President Tinubu.
The President assured JBS executives that Nigeria is prepared to support their business operations and promised a favorable investment climate, with solid returns.
The statement from Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, also highlighted that before this visit, the Nigerian government had commissioned a delegation of public and private sector officials to explore opportunities in livestock development during the G20 summit in Brazil.
The delegation, led by the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Muhktar Mahia, conducted extensive tours of livestock-related businesses in Brazil, with a focus on meat processing, seed development, and grain multiplication.
According to Mahia, JBS S.A. was selected due to its immense global reach and operational scale.
The company is known for processing 33,000 cattle and over eight million birds daily, using advanced zero-waste practices, and employs more than 200,000 people worldwide.
Wesley Batista, the founder and President of JBS S.A., expressed optimism about the partnership with Nigeria, recognizing the country as a potential hub for supplying protein to other African nations. “We are glad to work with Nigeria to work together to develop the livestock industry there.
We think it’s a good opportunity for our business in Nigeria and Africa as we believe Nigeria can be the centre of supply of protein to many countries in Africa.
We look forward to working with you. We are almost in December and this year is almost gone.
We hope to be in Nigeria as soon as possible,” Batista said.
The Nigerian delegation included key figures such as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Co-chairman of the Presidential Livestock Reform Committee, Professor Attahiru Jega, and Professor Mohammed Kuta Yahya, the Committee’s Secretary. The CEO of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, Aisha Rimi, was also part of the team.
