Monday, February 24, 2025 - Ogun, Nigeria’s top investment destination, is set to reap huge benefits as the largest protein producer in the world, JBS of Brazil, has indicated interest in investing $2.5bn in the livestock subsector of Nigeria’s economy.
The Controlling Shareholder of the company, Mr. Wesley Batista, gave
this indication when officials of his firm, led by the Controlling Shareholder
of EMN, Mr. John Coumantaros, visited the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo
Abiodun, in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta on Sunday.
Mr. Batista, who described Nigeria as the hub of Africa with the largest
population, noted the enormous potentials that exist in the country in terms of
human and natural resources, and said they were ready to bring their knowledge
and expertise in the area of livestock to bear in the nation’s economy.
He said: “We have been talking and learning about Nigeria. We had the
privilege to meet the Nigerian delegation in Brazil when President Bola Tinubu
visited our country. We see Nigeria as the hub of Africa with a very large
population.
“Though it is our first time in Nigeria, we feel that we have a lot of
similarities between Brazil and Nigeria. We have a very good impression so far
about Nigeria and Nigerians.
“We are serious about coming to Nigeria to invest in beef, pork,
chicken, among others. We see growth prospects in Nigeria and what Nigerian
leaders are doing in encouraging investors to come and make significant
investments here. We can bring our knowledge and expertise to bear in Nigeria’s
economy.”
Giving a brief background of the company, Mr. Wesley Batista disclosed
that it started in 1953 with slaughtering one cow per day and grew to 600 heads
of cattle in one beef plant per day in 1957, becoming the largest beef player
in Brazil in the 1990s.
“In the beginning of 2000, we started looking for opportunities to go
beyond Brazil, and in 2005, we started in Argentina, and in 2007, we went to
the United States and Australia. JBS is our biggest business under our holding
company,” he added.
Batista said the organization currently has a revenue of about $75bn and
280,000 direct members who operate hundreds of facilities across Brazil, the
USA, Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Italy, and
France, among others.
According to the Controlling Shareholder, the company processes 80,000
heads of cattle, 15 million chickens, about 25,000 heads of lamb per day, and
also produces packaged products like sausages and bacon, while they also hold
interests in other sectors like energy, the paper-producing industry, banking
and finance, as well as soap and toiletries.
Giving a brief about the State titled “Unlocking the Future of Livestock
Processing and Other Opportunities,” Governor Abiodun said the state, with more
than 16,000 square kilometers, offers an ideal location for investments as it
provides unique connections to the 17 southern states as well as the northern
parts of the country.
“We have provided, in terms of infrastructure, 1,000 kilometers of
highways and the best-constructed airport in Nigeria, specially dedicated to
agro imports and exports.
“We are number one in non-oil, as two-thirds of the state sits on
limestone. Our state is the third-largest producer of cement in Africa,
trailing behind Morocco, which is second, and Egypt, which is first.
“The State also has gold, silica, bitumen, and others which are too
numerous to mention. We have gas reticulation more than any other state. There
are two major gas pipelines that crisscross our state,” he stated.
Governor Abiodun noted that Ogun is going into power generation and
distribution, assuring that industries and companies that operate in the State
would have access to the cheapest power supply in the country.
On the acquisition of land, the governor said it has been made seamless
as land title documents would be made ready within 30 days, assuring that his
administration has invested significantly in security to guarantee the safety
of lives and properties of those who live and work in the State.
While assuring that his administration would collaborate with the
government of President Bola Tinubu to ensure food sufficiency and security,
Governor Abiodun said efforts would be made to reduce food scarcity and
inflation in the State and country.
He lauded the company for rising from humble beginnings to become the
largest protein producer in the world, saying his administration is looking
forward to seeing the company establish itself in the State.
The leader of the delegation, John Coumantaros, in his remarks,
applauded the governor for opening up the State in the area of infrastructure,
which he noted has pushed up investments and brought more development to the
State.
He said President Tinubu’s administration has set forth on changing the
macro conditions of the country where everything works properly by embarking on
the development of infrastructure corridors from East to West and North to
South, adding that the JBS group was in the State to assess its viability for
investment.
“Tinubu has made it possible to attract investors like this, and
Governor Abiodun is here to make the program possible because protein is
critical for the growth of Nigeria, building modern slaughterhouses,
establishing piggery and poultry farms, and going back to see how we can
produce maize and soya beans of good yields and its value chain from farm to
customers, making the ecosystem beneficial to the growth of the country and the
entire Gross Domestic Product,” he noted.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Investment Promotion
Commission (NIPC), Aisha Rimi, on her part, said the meeting is a follow-up to
the technical team sent by the company to assess the potentials of the State
for investment, adding that the company is ready to invest $2.5bn in the next
five years in livestock, and Ogun State would be one of the States to benefit.
0 Comments