The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to involving farmers directly in policy decisions aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and strengthening national food security.
The Data Manager, Research and Impact Assessment at the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), Office of the Vice President, Mr. Eniola Akindele, stated this at the Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth (AGROW) programme held in Kano State.
Mr. Akindele said the current administration is prioritising farmer-driven, market-oriented and results-based agricultural interventions, stressing that policies must reflect realities on the ground rather than follow a top-down approach.
He explained that AGROW focuses on key value chains such as rice, wheat, tomato, sesame and sorghum, which are critical to Nigeria’s food security and economic development.
According to him, AGROW is a $500 million homegrown initiative led by Nigeria and co-created across the three tiers of government, in partnership with the private sector and development partners, with technical support from the World Bank.
Mr. Akindele noted that previous agricultural programmes were constrained by fragmented public spending, blanket input subsidies, government-led implementation models, opaque land administration systems and multiple informal trade levies.
He said the AGROW framework introduces a new approach centred on state-level agricultural support, financial incentives linked to market outcomes and targeted public investments. Other pillars include institutionalised private sector engagement, transparent land administration and efficient interstate agricultural trade.
Voice of Nigeria reports that the PFSCU programme is built on three components: strengthening private sector linkages with smallholder farmers, modernising on-farm production systems, and effective project coordination, monitoring and evaluation.
He also outlined eligibility requirements for states seeking to participate in AGROW, including sustainable land-based investment processes, digital farmer registries, increased transparency in interstate trade fees and levies, reduced reliance on input subsidies and stronger support for agricultural cooperatives.
Meanwhile, stakeholders from north-western states and Gombe identified inconsistent government policies as a major challenge hindering agricultural value-chain development. They called for stable and sustained policies to improve productivity and ensure food security.
The programme was attended by commissioners and permanent secretaries from Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Gombe, Katsina and Kano states.