By Adejare Ibrahim & Ajayi Olamide
The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), through its Oyo State Coordinating Office, has successfully participated in the ECOWAS-AVIANA West Africa International Expo 2025, held at the International Conference Center, Ibadan, recently. The two-day event brought together agricultural stakeholders, policy experts, industry leaders, and investors from across West Africa and beyond, serving as a major platform for promoting innovation, technology transfer, and business networking in the agricultural and agro-allied sectors.
The Expo was jointly organized by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (ABM), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) in Kenya, in collaboration with ECOWAS-AVIANA.
The event served as a business-to-business (B2B) exhibition, showcasing innovations in agriculture, agro-processing, food and nutrition, farm machinery, haulage, agritourism, environmental management, finance, and export trade. International exhibitors from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and other countries presented cutting-edge solutions for sustainable agricultural development.
The RMRDC team led by the Oyo State Coordinator, Mr. O. A. Adeogun, engaged in Business-to-Government (B2G) meetings with investors, researchers, and policymakers. Mr. Adeogun emphasised on the critical role of raw materials development in growing businesses in Nigeria.
He explored industrial applications for kenaf, particularly in producing eco-friendly jute bags, highlighting its potential for sustainable packaging and value-added manufacturing. He also explained RMRDC’s effort in promoting raw materials growth for industrial development. He observed that with 30% value addition bill for Nigeria’s raw materials before export is a game changer. He urged stakeholders to support RMRDC to drive economic development in the country and by extension, Africa. He therefore explained that these engagements and many others reinforces the Council’s mandate to promote raw materials research and industrial development.
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Some of the key outcomes from the Expo include:
• Establishing international networking links for technology transfer and trade partnerships.
• Acquiring technical insights into kenaf processing and its industrial uses.
• Strengthening stakeholder relationships in agribusiness, finance, and environmental management.
• Enhancing the Council’s visibility and credibility in regional industrial development.
• Fostering cross-border collaboration to drive agricultural and industrial growth in West Africa.
Speaking on the significance of the event, Mr. Adeogun stated that the Expo provided “an exceptional opportunity to showcase the RMRDC’s work, learn from global best practices, and create partnerships that will drive Nigeria’s agricultural and industrial competitiveness.”
The RMRDC remains committed to building on the momentum from the ECOWAS-AVIANA Expo to strengthen value chains, promote industrial innovation, and deepen regional integration for sustainable economic growth.
