TARAVEST 2025: TARABA BARES TREASURE CHEST TO THE WORLD

 By Shehu Ahmed 

The Taraba International investment Summit, tagged TARAVEST 2025, was an ensemble of everyone, with the penchant for turning resources into wealth. Jalingo was host to 500 entrepreneurs of renown in Nigeria, Africa and the globe, diplomats, as well as political and religious leaders in the country, on the invitation of the Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas.

The Summit was meant to be a strategic platform designed to showcase Taraba’s untapped potential to the world, by bringing together investors, business leaders, policymakers, and development partners. The summit will spotlight the state’s vast opportunities across agriculture, energy, mining, and industrial sectors.

Taraba has so much to showcase to the world of investment, on basis of which meaningful partnerships will be attracted and sustainable investments will be fostered to position Taraba as Nigeria’s next economic frontier. By the end of the day, guests had resolved that the state is indeed, endowed with the human and natural wealth, from which enormous dividends can accrue to the entrepreneur. 

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Africa's foremost investor concurs with this. Taraba, he said in his remarks, "is Nigeria's haven for agriculture, tourism and solid minerals and has the potential of being the shining star of Nigeria. The Petroleum and Cement mogul acknowledged Governor Kefas' vision for organising the Summit to expose the rich endowments of his state and the opportunities they present to the investment world, while adjudging the theme of the Summit: Unlocking Taraba's investment potentials, advancing agriculture, energy, mines and industrialization for sustainable growth" as apt and insightful.

Tony Elumelu,  Chairman of Transcorp and UBA identified 

TARAVEST as one of the proofs that the future of African is "here and now". He expressed the corporate will to partner with Taraba, saying the Transcorp Group would invest more in the state and strengthen the Tony Elumelu Foundation's support for young Tarbans.

The religious leadership in Nigeria,  represented at the Summit were in concurrence with the general opinion. The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, described TARAVEST as historic. He commended Governor Kefas' initiative of bringing leaders in all segments of Nigerian society together to witness Taraba State's abundant resources, to afford them an opportunity to contribute to the development of, not only the state, but also of humanity, remarking, "we believe in what Kefas is doing", adding that traditional leaders love to see political leaders develop the people.

Arch Bishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, shared the Sultan's sentiment. He described the Summit as a great innovation, through which Taraba is becoming a magnet attracting the world to discover the state and contribute  to its development. The Arch Bishop said Taraba is a gift to the nation that occupied a strategic location, while the Kefas government is striving to provide the required infrastructure for investors to patronise the state, which he added, is a land of immeasurable resources.

Arch Bishop Kaigama also spoke on religious tolerance, which he pointed out is the key to peace, security, development and nation building. He urged the people of Taraba State and Nigeria as a whole, to use land to produce food not as a basis for fighting one another.

For the Ooni of Ife, his investment in Taraba was 22 years old, when he came to invest in sugar in Gembu. As a monarch, he said, he has always prayed that the state would showcase its potentials, among which is the best Blue Sapphire in the world and thus globally renown.The monarch noted that there is nothing in terms of natural resources that cannot be found in Taraba State.

Former Vice-President and PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in his good will remark, said TARAVEST was a

forum that sought to create opportunities for Taraba to exploit its potentials towards economic development and for investors to venture in the state. He acknowledged Governor Kefas' foresight of bringing together investors and development partners, which he observed is the prerequisite  for sustainable development.

Such partnerships, the former VP explained, are necessary for filling resource gaps, while private sector investment helps to maximise resources, cause technology transfer,

support economic growth and boost human capital, which by extension, eliminates poverty. He noted that Governor Kefas is a proactive governor, who is ready to do what is required to develop Taraba State.

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, represented the Nigerian Governors Forum at the Summit. He noted that Taraba, like his own state is endowed with agricultural resources and as "farmer-governor", he had a feeling of solidarity with Taraba State. Governor Bago reckoned that all  production factors are existent in Taraba and thus the state has "no business with poverty".

Host Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, told the Summit that his government is pursuing an investment initiative that includes ready-to-use land with immediate Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) as part of an ambitious plan to position the state as Nigeria’s premier investment destination, a strategy  to accelerate economic development.

Governor Kefas revealed, in his keynote address that the land incentive represents only one component of a comprehensive value proposition designed to remove traditional barriers to investment.

“We’re not simply offering parcels of land,” Governor Kefas explained, “We’ve created an end-to-end investment ecosystem that includes fast-tracked approvals, robust infrastructure, and ironclad security guarantees." Taraba, he added, "is open for business in a way that fundamentally changes the calculus for both domestic and international investors."

Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Tinubu at the Summit, pinpointed food security, along with regional economic inclusion as the primary currency of Nigeria’s path to long-term stability.

He also disclosed plans in Tinubu's Renewed Hope agenda to transform Taraba State into a vital centre for agricultural productivity, energy generation, and mineral resource development.

Shettima acknowledged the position of Taraba State as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s agricultural and industrial future, saying its immense potential reflects the promise of the nation’s shared prosperity.