Jigawa, El-Meena Farms Launch $540M Alfalfa Export Initiative with Saudi’s Alkhorayef Group as Technical Partner
The Jigawa State Government and El-Meena Farms Ltd have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to develop Nigeria’s largest fodder export corridor through the Jigawa Alfalfa Value Chain Development Project.
The public-private partnership, valued at $540 million, targets the cultivation of 100,000 hectares of premium Alfalfa with projected annual export revenues between $440 million and $540 million. The initiative has formally selected Saudi Arabia’s Alkhorayef Group as preferred technical partner for irrigation infrastructure.
Governor Umar Namadi, who described the project as a cornerstone of his administration’s economic agenda, said the initiative represents an economic bridge between Nigeria and the Middle East.
“By combining Jigawa’s vast land resources with El-Meena’s operational expertise and Saudi Arabia’s superior irrigation technology, we are building a secure, high-value export corridor that aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” Governor Namadi stated at the MoU signing ceremony in Dutse.
The project is structured around the NEXIM Bank–Saudi EXIM Bank export financing window, with an initial $5 million capital expenditure earmarked for acquiring advanced Center Pivot Irrigation Systems for the 1,000-hectare pilot phase.
Through Capemano Consulting, its local representative in Nigeria, Alkhorayef Group will deploy world-class irrigation technology to ensure year-round, high-yield production targeting GCC countries including Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, which face critical demand for water-efficient, high-protein livestock feed.
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The MoU was signed following a visit by a high-level delegation led by Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
At the signing ceremony, key stakeholders including Mr. Abubakar Abba Bello, Managing Director of Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM), Managing Director of Jaiz Bank, Mr. Haruna Musa; Managing Director of Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Dr. Armstrong Takang and representatives from the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority and and other key institutions endorsed the initiative.
In his remarks, NITDA DG Kashifu Inuwa stated that the project aligns directly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s priority agenda on food security and expanded agricultural production, confirming that the initiative will take off immediately.
“Priority number two of the President’s agenda focuses on boosting agriculture to achieve food security. The investment-friendly climate in Jigawa is one of the key reasons we are bringing this project here.”
Providing technical insight, the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Professor Salim Mohammed, described alfalfa as a transformative high-protein forage crop capable of boosting livestock productivity, generating mass employment, and expanding export revenues.
The project will operate through a Special Purpose Vehicle, Jigawa El-Meena Farms, scaling from a 1,000-hectare pilot to a 100,000-hectare mega-estate with projected annual output of 2.0 million metric tons of Alfalfa. It is expected to create over 100,000 direct jobs and incorporate inclusive outgrower schemes for pastoralists.
El-Meena Farms Ltd, a leading Nigerian agribusiness firm, serves as prime anchor providing operational management and export logistics. Alkhorayef Group, founded in 1957 in Riyadh and operating in over 40 countries, brings decades of expertise in sustainable water management and agricultural technology to the partnership.
By PRNigeria
