THOMAS OLUSHOLA DEBO: THE YOUNG AGRO-ENTREPRENEUR KING MAKING WAVES IN NIGERIA. Femi Ojo

Agriculture is perhaps and arguably the last frontier and indeed offers hope for economic empowerment and many opportunities for Nigeria and Africa as a whole. The great potentials in this sector are enormous but unfortunately many of our young Nigerians (including yours truly) are sitting on this gold-mine complaining and frustrated about how horrible the economy of our nation has turned out to be.  

But in faraway town of Ogbomoso in Oyo State is a young man, Debo Olushola Thomas who is energized and motivated to create something different in agricultural sector. The young agro-entrepreneur who barely managed to complete his secondary school and who could not further in tertiary education,  is today one of the biggest agro- real-estate entrepreneurs in Nigeria.  Though he may not possess any formal degree from any university but he is an encyclopedia on agricultural business and this intellectual attribute has made him to be widely consulted by those who parade loads of university degrees across Nigeria and beyond. When I asked him about what motivated him to agriculture, the young man said “the motivation is the drive to create something different to what has been. I see a lot of potentials in agriculture which I believe agriculture is arguably the last frontier and Africa is the place to be. So I thought of it as a real estate package which will culminate into people investing heavily into agriculture by first buying very fertile farmlands which I am the biggest seller of in the country”.

Thomas Debo was born in Ogbomoso in Oyo State. The young agriculture entrepreneur is the Chief Executive Officer of Hastom Global Services Limited located in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria.  A leading farmland selling company in the country with global clients from Europe, America, East Africa, Middle East and of course Asia. The young entrepreneur has acquired  for his business about 2, 500 acres in Ogbomoso in Oyo State which he is already leasing out to prospective investors.  I asked Debo:  how did you get the capital to start your agricultural business? And to which he responded “If by capital you meant money, then I started with none. I only used the power of leverage upon my intellectual and social capital, that is: creative ideas and peoples’ power. I had to turn to writing. I wrote and wrote and convince people and potential investors. I was able to master the art of personal attractiveness and after I finished off the very first deal, the rest as they say is history”. Today his agricultural business has grown so big and he remains one of the most sought after young farmland consultants in Nigeria. The driving force of his business has been his ability to recruit smart, creative, committed, dynamic, innovative, zealous and passionate employees who also believe in his visions in agriculture as arguably the last frontier for economic growth and development in Africa.

Currently Hastom Global Service Limited has an ongoing project where prospective investors in agricultural business are being helped to acquire hundreds of fertile acres of farmland for agricultural purposes. The agricultural company also has another 720 acres of land in Ogbomoso, in Oyo State, Nigeria called “Agro- City” where veterans in the industry and start-up farmers have hundreds of acres of plantations where crops like cashew, maize, cassava, yam etc. are being cultivated in commercial scale for export to other countries. In addition to this project, Debo Olusho Thomas the CEO of the company was happy to say that “in fast progress is another Cashew Power Investment Plan that has been opened to global investors in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria on 5000 hectares of farmland. The project when completed will be one of the largest and most productive agricultural farmlands in Africa. Hastom Global Services has been globally consulted for acquisition of hundreds of acres of very fertile farmlands and has made farming more appealing to both old and new generations of farmers through application of modern farming technology and 21^st century innovation”.

Hastom Global Services Limited under Debo’s leadership has equally found a way to give back to the society through various mentoring initiatives. One of such initiatives is helping young farmers in the South- West, Nigeria, to set up their farms and offering of advisory, training, consultancy and farmlands all for free in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. Currently in partnership with another associate of his, Debo has come up with an Agri-business Initiative where 50 young serious-minded graduates who are willing to key into agric business will be provided with 20 hectares of farmlands to cultivate various crops. This Initiative is called “West Agric Business Initiative” (WABI). In addition to free provision of farmlands, youths will also be trained in agricultural practices, ranging from planting to marketing all for free. Debo said “this package includes, free registration, free land, free practical training (both online and offline) and you can be sure of a ready market for such business”.

This is what Debo have to say when asked what advice he would give to prospective agro-investors, “my advice has always been simple and direct: If you must invest in agriculture, invest big time. Gone are the days of peasant, subsistence farming. We, at Hastom, are investing in this new frontier and creating investment opportunities for people interested in farming, or who are farmers already. With our team of experts, specialists and consultants, Hastom Global Services has garnered reputation as the biggest farmland selling and Management Company, and has helped scores of prospective and professional farmers across the globe in acquiring farmlands. The company is being positioned to be a shining light, a trailblazer in the world of agriculture and general agribusiness through its various services readily available”

Indeed Debo’s  story in agricultural entrepreneurship is a huge success today given many challenges he faced in making sure that his dreams and passion for agricultural business approximate to reality. Like many stories of great people with humble beginning, Debo’s story is no exception but yet he has risen beyond his foundational challenges; if you think his journey was smooth hear what he has to say “there are always challenges. But one of the core challenges has been making people to see the enormous opportunities in agricultural investments. I had to write and write to convince people but like they say the rest is story today but definitely it was not a smooth journey to this current destination”

Giving his parting shots on where he hopes his business will be in the next few years, Debo said “my business in the next five years? Let me say it in a simple way: the name Hastom would have become synonymous with agriculture in Nigeria. It’s a brand going wild!”