Abuja, Nigeria — The Federal Government is laying the groundwork for a major shift in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, aiming to modernize farming and enhance food security by empowering young people and women with technology. This initiative was highlighted by Senator Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, during a recent high-level policy dialogue on agribusiness. Speaking in Abuja, Kyari emphasized that the government’s vision is to make agriculture smarter, more inclusive, and technologically advanced. He noted that the era of traditional farming with hoes and cutlasses is being replaced by modern tools like smart tractors, mobile apps, and digital marketplaces. “It is Nigeria’s young people who are leading the charge,” he said.
New Policies and Financial Support to Drive Change
To make this vision a reality, the government is rolling out several key initiatives. The National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) has been introduced to serve as a strategic framework. According to Kyari, NATIP will promote mechanization, digital agriculture, and improved access to modern inputs, making the sector more appealing to young Nigerians. The government is also focusing on providing crucial financial support. The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has been activated to attract long-term financing, and President Bola Tinubu has approved a significant N1.5 trillion recapitalization for the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), with a special focus on enterprises led by youth and women. Kyari also announced that the government will soon unveil five core policy interventions under the National Agribusiness Policy Mechanism (NAPM). These interventions will focus on providing access to affordable credit, business incubation, digital platforms, shared infrastructure, and data tracking systems.
AfDB Pledges Strong Partnership and Funding
The African Development Bank (AfDB) is a key partner in this transformation. Mr. Abdul Kamara, the bank’s Director-General for the Nigeria Country Department, reiterated the AfDB’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s youth and women through targeted investments. He acknowledged that access to finance remains a major hurdle for these groups, with a significant number of loans requiring collateral they cannot provide. To tackle these challenges, Kamara detailed several AfDB initiatives:
- Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) Programme: A $618 million initiative that will create innovation centers in over 50 universities and polytechnics. It aims to equip more than 175,000 young people with skills in digital technology and creative industries.
- Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank Fund (YEIB-Fund): A $100 million initiative providing financial and non-financial support to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) owned by youth and women.
- Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme: A $618 million intervention designed to develop agro-industrial value chains and create jobs, particularly in rural areas.
Kamara emphasized the need for a collaborative approach to integrate young people into agribusiness, warning that Africa’s future prosperity depends on a skilled and empowered youth population. “The future of Africa’s youth must lie in a prosperous Africa, not in risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean,” he stated. The event, themed “Bridging the Gap – Access to Finance & Empowering Youth and Women for Agribusiness Success,” concluded with a strong call to action for all stakeholders, including banks and investors, to align with the government’s vision and invest in a new, technologically driven future for Nigerian agriculture.
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