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Not every bet is short-term. Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is placing a strategic wager on Bayelsa — one of Nigeria’s least-industrialised states. According to The Nation, the Dangote Group has signed a ₦120 billion deal to establish a large-scale rice farming and processing complex in the state, signalling a pivot toward localised food production and underdeveloped regional economies.

Bayelsa’s swamps may soon yield more than oil — if this agricultural vision takes root.

Key Takeaway:
  • Dangote’s investment will fund 10,000 hectares of rice farming in partnership with the state government.
  • A processing mill will support year-round production, creating hundreds of jobs.
  • Bayelsa’s governor called it a “transformational moment” for youth employment and rural development.
  • This project aligns with national goals of achieving food security and reducing imports.
For Bayelsa, long seen only through the lens of oil, this project plants something different: a vision of fertile futures. The question is whether policy, infrastructure, and local will can nurture it to harvest.