The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) is seeking up to $500 million in initial capital commitments for Nigeria's agricultural sector through the maiden Agricultural Mechanisation for Export-Quality Products in Africa (AGROMEQA) Expo, holding on October 15 and 16, 2026 at the ACCI Complex in Abuja, Worldstage News reported.
The expo is jointly organised by ACCI, the Agricultural Trade Group and JMT Plus Farms and Agro-Allied Limited under the theme "Technology and Investment for Agro-Export". Organisers expect more than 3,000 delegates, including farmers, financial institutions, private investors, researchers and agritech firms.
Deal Room and Machinery Demonstrations
A Deal Room at the event is designed to mobilise private capital and broker international partnerships under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework. The exhibition floor includes live demonstrations of precision farming tools, modern irrigation, processing and packaging systems and climate-smart machinery, with dedicated arenas and competitions for young and women entrepreneurs, according to Worldstage News.
ACCI President Emeka Obegolu, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba and Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong were listed among the speakers. At a media briefing, the chamber said the sector "cannot deliver its full potential without a fundamental transition toward mechanisation and private investment," Worldstage News reported.
The organisers said the goal is to move Nigerian agriculture from small-scale subsistence farming to large commercial operations that meet international export standards, earn foreign exchange and create better jobs. They also argued that higher productivity would reduce competition over land, which they said could ease farmer-herder disputes. The report did not explain how the $500 million target was set or how commitments made at the expo will be tracked.
Sector Growth Behind the Pitch
At an earlier briefing ahead of the expo, Adesugba, ACCI's First Deputy President, said agriculture accounts for 23.16% of Nigeria's real Gross Domestic Product, MSME Africa reported on September 2, 2026. The sector grew 3.15% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 0.07% in the first quarter of 2025, with real output rising to ₦11.87 trillion from ₦11.51 trillion. "This is a significant rebound," he said, according to MSME Africa. He named insecurity as a major obstacle to farming and agricultural investment, and pointed to palm oil as an attractive area for investors seeking to cut import dependence.
The chamber's push follows federal plans on machinery. Agriculture Minister Abubakar Kyari said on October 5, 2026 that a proposed tractor assembly plant would have capacity to produce between 2,000 and 4,000 tractors a year, ThisDay reported.
FoodPrices Nigeria tracks retail prices of grains, tubers, oils and vegetables across Lagos markets. Whether pledged capital becomes machinery on farms will shape the volume of produce that reaches those markets and what it costs.
#Agriculture #Mechanisation #AgribusinessInvestment #ACCI #Abuja #AfCFTA #Nigeria #FoodSecurity