Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has said that the implementation of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) will accelerate the agricultural ecosystem and improve access to modern inputs.
This is aimed at making agriculture more attractive, rewarding, and competitive, especially for youth and women farmers.
The Minister stated this at the High-Level Policy Dialogue: “Bridging the Gap, Access to Finance, Empowering Youth and Women for Agribusiness Success” by the African Development Bank, held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Senator Kyari stated that NATIP provides the strategic policy backbone for transforming agriculture into a tech-enabled, youth-driven sector and promotes mechanization, digital agriculture, among others.
He pointed out that “with NATIP, we are building that system, one that supports youth innovation, unlocks productivity, and rewards ambition. We must now ensure it delivers at scale.”
The Minister revealed that the Federal Government of Nigeria’s National Agribusiness Policy Mechanism (NAPM), which was launched in May, was being implemented under the coordination of the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU).
“To translate these bold institutional reforms into real impact, we must now set clear delivery expectations. That means establishing annual lending targets for youth and women-led agribusinesses.
“It means designing guarantees to expand access, not inflate fees. It means financing cash flows, not just collateral. And it means equipping entrepreneurs not only with credit, but with the capabilities to absorb and grow that capital,” the Minister added.
He noted that the initiative was gaining ground across a number of states, reaching about 250,000 farmers, early signs of what this framework could achieve when matched with political will and strong coordination.
Kyari further revealed that “Mr. President, in articulating the Renewed Hope Agenda, placed food security and job creation not as standalone ambitions but as interdependent levers for economic diversification, social stability, and national sovereignty.”
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He explained that “this agenda affirms the right to feed ourselves with what we grow, process, and add value to. Food sovereignty means reclaiming control over food systems, reducing reliance on imports, and investing in the strength of Nigerian farmers, processors, and agribusinesses as the foundation of national resilience.”
According to him, their task was to make that vision possible by unlocking the full productive power of Nigeria’s youth and women in agriculture.
The Minister added that “the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) is active and building partnerships to finance climate-smart agriculture, aggregation centers, storage hubs, and rural logistics systems that enable value addition and competitiveness.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the recapitalization of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) with 1.5 trillion naira, approximately 1 billion US dollars, marking the most significant boost to agricultural finance in Nigeria’s history.”
He said the recapitalization would reposition BOA as a dynamic development finance institution, with deliberate targeting of youth and women-led agribusinesses through accessible credit and capacity development support.