When Buhari banned the importation of some food and drinks to boost local agriculture production,I was one of those who strongly criticized him.

But that decision is paying off well for the local agriculture industry.And we young Nigerians need to seize opportunities it presents

I know a couple of young people who went into rice farming in the wake of that decision. They are doing very well for themselves.

The best thing to have happened in the sector so far has been the improvement in local processing of things like rice and tomatoes.

Earlier in the day, I saw a news about a N20bn tomato processing factory built by #GBFoods in Kebbi State.

You don't know how much this will transform local tomato production/processing and the impact it will have on the economy as a whole.

The factory is the second largest in Nigeria and the largest fresh tomatoes processing factory in sub-saharan Africa.

The factory also houses a farm which is the largest tomato farm in Nigeria. All this was done through a collaboration between #GBFoods, CBN and Kebbi state govt

So what does this mean for Nigerian youths like you and me? For young people who don't want to run a farm of their own for several reasons, the factory provides job. So far it has employed around 2,000 youths within Kebbi state and beyond.

But for those with interest in Agriculture, this is a queue to leverage on the opportunities provided by #GBFoods for tomato farmers.

You can actually produce your own tomatoes and GBFoods will source their raw materials from you. You already have a client as a tomato farmer

As someone with keen interest in Agriculture and who is an active farmer, this is exciting.

Nigeria cannot keep importing all the food it consumes. It is not sustainable at all.

We really need to start investing in our local production capacities. The sooner, the better

And we young people also need to take this diversification conversation serious. And there is no better way to diversify the economy than to invest in Agriculture.

That factory in Kebbi state built by #GBFoods holds lots of promise directly and indirectly for Nigerians.

Btw, #GBFoods are responsible for producing food items like Bama,Gino and other things.These are items consumed by most Nigerian homes.

So I really find it exciting that the company is focusing on expanding the production of these items WITHIN the country, thereby creating jobs

GBfoods Nigeria is a member of GBfoods Africa. GBfoods Europe (Large Spanish Foods Group) and Helios Investment Partners (a private equity firm, based in London, founded by Nigerians with over $3billion in assets under management) are the parents of GBfoods Africa.

It is a global company with strong Nigerian ties creating opportunities for Nigerians WITHIN Nigeria.

This initiative will go a long way in ensuring food security for Nigerians and improving the economy

I really look forward to seeing more of this replicated across the country.