Jigawa State has wrapped up its second economic and investment summit with $140 million in fresh commitments, positioning agriculture and agro-processing at the centre of its pitch to investors. The two-day J-INVEST 2026 summit, held in Dutse on July 1 and 2 under the theme of unlocking opportunities for sustainable growth, closed with pledges spread across agriculture, renewable energy and manufacturing, according to InvestJigawa, the state's investment promotion agency.
A State Selling Its Farmland
The summit opened with Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alongside Governor Umar Namadi, and drew federal ministers, the Director-General of AfricaRice, development finance institutions and private investors, according to InvestJigawa. Shettima praised the state's agricultural output, noting that Jigawa produced close to 40 per cent of Nigeria's wheat last season, and pointed to federal reforms such as the Business Facilitation Act as backing for state-level investment drives, the same account noted. Governor Namadi tied the push to a 2026 budget of roughly ₦902 billion, with about 77 per cent set aside for capital projects.
The Case for Jigawa
The state has spent recent years assembling the infrastructure investors look for. Jigawa has more than 3,600 kilometres of paved roads, has upgraded Dutse airport to cargo status and sits on the route of the Lagos to Kano to Maradi railway, which is expected to cut logistics costs, according to Leadership. It also holds more than 411,000 hectares of Fadama wetlands suited to year-round farming and a large livestock population, the same report noted, and it has facilitated 64 completed investment projects across agriculture, energy and manufacturing over three years.
From Raw Crops to Industry
For decades Jigawa has been known for agricultural potential that stayed underused because of limited value addition, and the summit was framed as the start of a long-term drive toward agro-industrial development, according to Newsworth Magazine, which pointed to the Maigatari Export Processing Zone as a strategic asset for processing and export. The government also reaffirmed a commitment to a 100-megawatt solar plant to power that industry, according to InvestJigawa.
Investment that turns a state's grain and produce into processed goods is exactly the kind of shift that can steady national supply and prices over time. The push comes as food inflation ran at 17.52 per cent year-on-year in June 2026, according to Financial Afrik. FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified retail prices across Lagos markets and follows the investments in supply states that ultimately shape what households pay.