C’River Partners Dubai Firm to Boost Agriculture
The Cross River State Government has approved 10 hectares of land for the establishment of an Agricultural Centre of Excellence in partnership with Dubai-based Export Trading Group (ETG), in a major step aimed at transforming the state’s agricultural sector and expanding industrial capacity.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Andiambey Ebokpo, disclosed this during a working visit by the ETG delegation to his office in Calabar. He said the project will feature a phased development plan, including a urea production plant and a fertilizer blending facility, to be powered by the state’s existing gas infrastructure.
Ebokpo explained that Governor Bassey Edet Otu granted executive approval for the initiative on March 10, 2026, describing it as a strategic response to declining interest in agriculture among young people and the need to reposition the sector for sustainability.
“You cannot talk about agriculture without sustainability. We are losing a pool of talent,” he said. “At the last admission into the Faculty of Agriculture, we had less than 100 interested students. There is a need for us to change this narrative and begin to do the things that will excite young people to get into agriculture.”
He noted that the 10 hectare project site will be located around the Adiabo axis, chosen for its strategic proximity to both the seaport and airport, which will enhance logistics and distribution efficiency.
According to him, the Centre of Excellence will serve as a training hub for agricultural extension workers, policymakers, and students from the University of Calabar, the University of Cross River State, and the newly approved College of Agriculture.
On the industrial outlook, the commissioner said global disruptions in urea supply present an opportunity for Cross River to position itself as a key producer, leveraging its abundant gas resources.
“Cross River State is ready because we have a lot of gas infrastructure available,” Ebokpo said. “That same gas infrastructure can be used to produce urea, and that will in turn create a lot of jobs for our people.”
Leader of the ETG delegation, Ogu Goodluck, said the group, which has operated in Nigeria for over 15 years, chose Cross River after engagements with Governor Otu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja.
“We are not coming here to take. We are coming here to work together to ensure that collectively we create a sustainable system,” he said. “These are not political statements; these are business statements that will help to impact the lives of the people we want to work with.”
He added that ETG’s presence in over 40 countries would bring global expertise and innovation to the state, shifting the project focus from commodity trading to sustainable agricultural input production.
Also speaking, the Director of Project Grow Cross River, Dennis Ipali, assured of the state’s commitment to the partnership, describing it as a transformative initiative for the agricultural sector.
“We are committed to building a progressive partnership with ETG that will benefit all parties and ensure our farmers have the tools they need to succeed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture is working with the Ministry of Lands and the Office of the Surveyor General to complete land inspection and finalize the official handover process to enable swift commencement of the project.
