The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has flagged off the National Agricultural Mechanisation Service Providers Training Programme for 4000 tractor operators and mechanics.
The 10-day programme, being implemented in partnership with John Deere representatives- AGCOMS, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), is designed to build a pool of certified tractor operators and mechanics to support the Federal Government’s agricultural transformation agenda.
Speaking at the inauguration in the CSS Farms Training Complex, Gora, Nasarawa State in North-central Nigeria with the first cohort of 250 trainees, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, said the initiative was a strategic investment in human capital needed to modernise Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Represented by the Fund’s General Manager Technical, Ernest Ihedigbo, Ibrahim said the programme aligned with the present administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to reposition agriculture as a major driver of the economy.
According to him, “despite Nigeria’s vast agricultural potential, productivity remains constrained by low levels of mechanisation, inadequate technical capacity and limited access to modern farming technologies.
“Nigeria’s tractor density stands at about 0.3 horsepower per hectare, compared to India’s 2.6 horsepower per hectare,” describing the gap as both a challenge and an opportunity.
He said the training programme would address the shortage of skilled mechanisation service providers while complementing the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to expand access to tractors and other agricultural machinery.
“The effectiveness and sustainability of any mechanisation programme ultimately depends on the quality of the people responsible for operating, maintaining, managing and commercialising the technologies upon which it relies,” he said.
Also speaking, NADF Head of Mechanisation, Samuel Aende, said the programme formed part of the Fund’s partnership with John Deere for the supply of 2,000 tractors, adding that the training would create a pool of skilled operators and mechanics to support the larger mechanisation programme.
He urged participants to take the opportunity seriously, describing it as an important investment for both the trainees and the country’s agricultural sector.
Representing the ITF, Training Manager of the Model Skills Training Centre, Fatima Baidu, said food security could no longer depend on manual labour alone but required modern technology operated by competent personnel.
She said trainees would receive practical instruction in precision field operations, preventive maintenance and safety protocols, enabling them to become certified professionals capable of driving agricultural productivity.
Chief Operating Officer of AGCOMS International Trading Company Limited, Sadiq Halilu, encouraged participants to actively engage in the training sessions by asking questions and sharing experiences to maximise learning outcomes.
In his welcome address, Director of the Federal Department of Agricultural Mechanisation, Maruf Olalekan, commended NADF for investing in both machinery and human capacity, stressing that sustainable agricultural transformation requires skilled operators and mechanics.
Olalekan said the Federal Government was implementing one of Africa’s most ambitious mechanisation programmes through the procurement of 2,000 tractors, more than 9,000 implements and spare parts under the Nigeria-Belarus partnership, alongside the Green Imperative Project with Brazil.
He called on development partners and private investors to take advantage of opportunities in mechanisation service centres, equipment leasing, maintenance hubs, precision agriculture and local manufacturing, describing mechanisation as essential to achieving Nigeria’s food sovereignty goals.
Participants are drawn from the six geopolitical zones and are set to undergo intensive training aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural mechanisation drive.
Participants were selected through organisations including the Tractor Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria (TOOAN), Tractor Owners and Hiring Facilities Association of Nigeria (TOHFAN), Women in Mechanized Agriculture (WIMA) and the Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs).
