The President of the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), Mr. Shuichi Suzuki, today met with former Nigeria’s President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday in Abeokuta.
The visit to the former president is part of Mr. Suzuki’s agenda, who is on a week-long familiarization visit aimed at deepening discussions on the Japanese organization’s long-standing involvement in Nigeria’s agricultural development and food security.
Chief Obasanjo commended Sasakawa Africa Association for its continuous commitment and investment in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, and Africa in general.
The former President said that African leaders needed to emulate SAA, by sustaining investments in Agriculture, stressing that continuity was key and necessary for agricultural transformation.
In his response, Mr. Suzuki said his visit was aimed at strengthening ties with the country and to reiterate SAA commitment to investing in agriculture in the country.
He noted that beyond oil and gas, Nigeria’s greatest assets were agriculture and its young population, that is rapidly growing.
In a closed-door meeting, both men explored opportunities for collaboration to further enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and support Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda.
The Country Director of SAA in Nigeria, Dr Godwin Atser described the visit to Chief Obasanjo as strategic, adding that it afforded Mr. Suzuki the opportunity to better understand the importance of agriculture, its challenges, and the impact SAA is making towards improving livelihoods in Nigeria.
Dr Atser noted that SAA, as an agricultural extension and advisory services organization, had in the last three decades reached 20 million farmers in Nigeria, using different extension models, adding that more needed to be done to impact more farmers.
Founded in 1986, SAA is a non-governmental organization dedicated to agricultural extension and smallholder farmer development. Headquartered in Tokyo, the Association has four country offices in Africa – Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mali, and Uganda. Since its establishment in Nigeria in 1992, SAA has partnered with development agencies, agricultural development programmes, and government institutions to strengthen extension systems, introduce climate-smart technologies, and empower farming communities across the country.
Prior to the visit to Chief Obasanjo today, Mr. Suzuki (last week) visited the Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, His Excellency, Suzuki Hideo; the Director of Extension, Federal Department of Extension, Mr. Olawumi Ayodele; and the Country Director, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Ms. Dede Ekoue in Abuja.
This visit marks Mr. Suzuki’s first official engagement in Nigeria since assuming leadership of SAA. Prior to joining the organization, he had a distinguished career with Sumitomo Corporation, serving in senior executive roles across its international offices in Baghdad, Singapore, Paris, and London. Rising through the ranks to become Corporate Officer, Executive Officer, and General Manager of the Steel Pipe Division, he later led the Energy Division, driving global business expansion and promoting sustainability within the sector.
Following his retirement from Sumitomo in 2019, Mr. Suzuki served as Advisor and Counselor to the Mineral Resources and Chemicals Business Unit, as well as Chairman of GYXIS Corporation. Throughout his career, he has been a consistent advocate of sustainable growth, global collaboration, and responsible resource management.