TINUBU WELCOMES DANISH QUEEN TO NIGERIA, ADVOCATES DAIRY AND LIVESTOCK INVESTMENT

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has identified Nigeria’s dairy and livestock sector as a high-potential economic frontier that can address food insecurity, generate rural employment, and resolve long-standing conflicts between farmers and herders. He made this assertion on Tuesday while receiving Her Majesty Queen Mary Elizabeth of Denmark at the State House, Abuja.
In a warm reception jointly hosted with First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, President Tinubu emphasized that Nigeria is prepared to deepen cooperation with Denmark on sustainable agribusiness, veterinary health systems, and green economic development. He noted that population growth projections, with Nigeria expected to exceed 400 million people by 2050, necessitate urgent reforms and strategic international partnerships in food production and health.
“We can convert that friction into structured economic opportunity and provide education pathways—even for farmers and herders. We can stabilise communities, grow our food systems, and lift millions out of poverty,” the President said, while reaffirming that demography remains a central pillar of Nigeria’s foreign policy and domestic development agenda.
The President acknowledged Denmark’s longstanding investment in Nigeria’s agricultural and maritime industries and expressed optimism that companies like A.P. Moller–Maersk and Grundfos would play a stronger role in Nigeria’s infrastructural expansion and economic transformation. He also praised Denmark’s humanitarian support in conflict zones, especially for internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Queen Mary commended Nigeria’s First Lady for her Renewed Hope Initiative Programme and expressed her intention to explore more opportunities in green economy development, women-led entrepreneurship, child health, and educational exchange. The Danish monarch will also visit Maersk’s port terminal in Lagos as part of her business mission.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu used the occasion to advocate for the transformation of traditional Islamic schools into formally recognised education structures, a move she described as necessary to reduce the number of out-of-school children in northern Nigeria. Queen Mary supported this idea and pledged continued engagement with Nigeria’s educational and healthcare development programmes through UNFPA.