Stanbic IBTC Bank reaffirmed its dedication to Nigeria’s agricultural sector on the Lagos Farm Fair 2025, held on 16 October 2025 in Ikeja, Lagos. Organised by the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, the occasion coincided with World Food Day, uniting farmers, agricultural startups, and stakeholders to champion sustainable farming and improve market entry. This vibrant gathering served as a platform to advertise sustainable meals techniques and collaboration; aligning with the broader aim of remodeling Nigeria’s agricultural panorama.
Stanbic IBTC Bank is addressing Nigeria’s agricultural financing hole by providing tailor-made agribusiness loans for crop manufacturing, livestock, and gear, enabling farmers to scale operations and cut back post-harvest losses. In 2024, the {bank} empowered over 2,000 SMEs via its Enterprise Academy, strengthening the meals provide chain and selling worth addition. By supporting British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) in reaching its enterprise and social affect objectives, Stanbic IBTC performs a significant position in enabling initiatives just like the Lagos Farm Fair, fostering agricultural growth, sustainability, and inclusive progress via strategic {financial} partnerships.
Wole Adeniyi, Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Bank, emphasised the {bank}’s dedication, stating, “At Stanbic IBTC, we recognise that agriculture’s potential lies in value addition and transforming raw products into high-quality goods. Our engagement with initiatives like the Lagos Farm Fair 2025 reflects our dedication to supporting Nigeria’s agricultural sector. As Nigeria’s growth partner, we are committed to enhancing food production, minimising post-harvest losses, and promoting sustainability to achieve national food security.” This imaginative and prescient underscores the {bank}’s position in fostering a strong agricultural economic system via strategic partnerships and progressive financing.
Echoing this sentiment, Barr. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, Secretary to the Lagos State Government, highlighted the collaborative spirit of the occasion in her opening remarks: “This year’s theme, Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future, emphasises the urgent need for collaboration among governments, the private sector, development organisations, and communities, to transform agri-food systems, promote healthy diets, and safeguard our environment. Despite its geographical limitations, Lagos State remains committed to achieving food security through initiatives like the five-year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap, targeting 40 per cent food self-sufficiency by 2025.” Her phrases replicate the shared resolve to construct a sustainable future for Lagos and past.
The 2025 World Food Day theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future”, as outlined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, underscores the significance of collective motion in revolutionising agri-food techniques and selling sustainable diets. The honest introduced this imaginative and prescient to life via exhibitions and shows, creating alternatives for smallholder farmers to attach with markets and embrace honest commerce practices. By facilitating these interactions, the occasion empowered farmers to broaden their attain and strengthen the agricultural worth chain, paving the way in which for a extra resilient meals ecosystem.
The Lagos Farm Fair 2025 showcased transformative initiatives just like the Food Systems Transformation Agenda, which strengthens the meals worth chain and creates jobs via structured off-take agreements. Stanbic IBTC’s {financial} options play a pivotal position in supporting such programmes, driving innovation and bettering market entry for farmers and agribusinesses. By aligning its efforts with platforms just like the honest, the {bank} helps to construct a sustainable agricultural economic system, guaranteeing that Nigeria’s meals techniques usually are not solely resilient but in addition able to assembly the calls for of a rising inhabitants. Through these concerted efforts, Stanbic IBTC continues to be a catalyst for progress in Nigeria’s journey towards meals safety and {economic} prosperity.
