GLOBAL AGROVET RESEARCH CONFERENCE

Mr. Warmate Jones Idikio

Founder

AFCFTA Roundtable

Director-General

Yenagoa Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (YECCIMA)

Warmate Jones IDIKIO is a Nigerian development strategist, legal practitioner, trade policy advocate, and institutional leader with extensive experience across SME development, continental trade integration, economic policy advocacy, and enterprise ecosystem building.

His professional work is anchored in advancing African industrialisation, strengthening entrepreneurship ecosystems, and positioning small and mediumscale enterprises as central drivers of growth under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He founded the AfCFTA Roundtable to harness African professional talent to help transition the AfCFTA ‘from table to factories and ports.’

He serves in leadership and advisory capacities within prominent economic and business institutions, including as Director-General of the Yenagoa Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (YECCIMA), where he leads initiatives focused on export promotion, investment summits, entrepreneurial training programmes, and international business collaboration frameworks.

He has also contributed to continental SME advocacy through the All Africa Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (AAASME), where he serves as the Vice President, Legal and Compliance, supporting AU SME initiatives and continental enterprise programmes.

Warmate’s professional engagements extend into industrial policy and development strategy through roles linked to Africa Industrialization Group initiatives and continental SME advocacy platforms, reflecting his commitment to value-chain development, logistics infrastructure, and sectoral industrial growth.

A trained lawyer with extensive experience in economic policy discussions and business environment reforms, he has consistently advocated for strong institutional frameworks to enable SMEs to access markets, finance, and modern trade infrastructure.

He also serves as a member of the Governing Council of the Bayelsa Multidoor Courthouse, expanding access to justice through policies and advocacy. He is also member of the Governing Council of the Niger Delta University, expanding his governance roles in tertiary education policy and development.

Warmate also leads educational advocacy as Chairman of the BayelsaPRIME program, leading efforts at modernizing and improving fondational education outcomes through technology and digitization of teaching and learning. His public engagements include keynote speaking on AfCFTA opportunities, women-led enterprise growth, and sustainable economic transformation at national and international platforms.

Warmate Jones IDIKIO contested for the office of Governor of Bayelsa State, in Nigeria in the 2023 general elections, with th objective of providing policy-driven governance for developmen