• The LBRBDA and Amisec Industrial Company partner on the AgroCity Doma project.
• The initiative targets a full organic sesame value chain in Nasarawa State.
• It aims to generate $7 million in annual revenue and create 2,500 jobs.

Nigeria’s Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority (LBRBDA) has signed a partnership agreement with private firm Amisec Industrial Company to launch an agricultural project in Nasarawa State. The announcement was made in a statement released on Tuesday, October 14, by the Federal Ministry of Information.

The project’s first phase, known as AgroCity Doma, will establish a complete value chain for organic sesame—from production to processing and export—at an estimated cost of 5 billion nairas ($3.4 million).

Under the agreement, the LBRBDA will provide 1,000 hectares of irrigated land with access to water from the Doma Dam, while Amisec will handle financing, infrastructure development, and farm management.

The ministry said agricultural operations will begin with the next rainy season, while infrastructure and processing facilities will continue to be developed. Full operations, including processing and exports, are expected to start in the first quarter of 2027.

Once operational, the project is expected to generate about $7 million in annual revenue and create more than 2,500 direct and indirect jobs along the sesame supply chain. It will also strengthen Nasarawa State’s role in Nigeria’s sesame production and export industry.

According to data from the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), Nigeria’s 2024 sesame harvest totaled 508,920 tons, with Nasarawa contributing 58,023 tons (11.4%), ranking third after Benue (17.5%) and Kogi (12.1%).

Trade Map data shows that in 2024, Nigeria exported 362,874 tons of sesame seeds, generating about $425.6 million in revenue.