The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Developmen has forged a partnership with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), to unlock affordable finance, mechanisation and guaranteed markets for at least three million Nigerian women farmers over the next three to five years.
The landmark intervention aims at accelerating inclusive agricultural growth, strengthening food security and expanding women’s economic participation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The initiative was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the Bank of Agriculture led by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Mr. Ayodeji for the implementation of the Renewed Hope Women Agro-Value Expansion (RH-WAVE) Programme.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, described the agreement as a strategic response to one of Nigeria’s most persistent development challenges.
“Today is not a ceremony of paperwork. It is the moment two institutions decide to close together, one of the most persistent gaps in our economy, the exclusion of women from formal agricultural finance.”
The Minister observed that although women constitute the backbone of Nigeria’s agricultural sector and account for the majority of smallholder farmers, they continue to face limited access to finance, infrastructure and markets.
She said the RH-WAVE Programme was designed to transform women from subsistence farmers into bankable agribusiness entrepreneurs by supporting the entire agricultural value chain, from quality inputs and land access to mechanisation, greenhouse production, processing, packaging and structured market linkages.
Highlighting the programme’s strong early demand, Sulaiman-Ibrahim revealed that pilot implementation in Nasarawa and Kaduna States had already demonstrated the appetite for expanded opportunities among women farmers.
“RH-WAVE has already proven the demand is real. In our pilots in Nasarawa and Kaduna, one implementing partner alone recorded 33,000 expressions of interest from women farmers. What we need now is not more interest, it is the financing architecture and market discipline to convert that demand into lasting income. That is exactly what BOA brings.”
She explained that the partnership rests on three strategic pillars: concessional input financing, women-led agricultural mechanisation hubs and structured produce aggregation with guaranteed minimum pricing.
Under the initiative, the first 10,000 women farmers will access input loans at concessional interest rates below 10 percent annually, alongside a dedicated greenhouse financing window to support climate-smart, year-round production.
The agreement also provides for the establishment of co-branded women-led AgriHubs equipped with tractors, solar-powered dryers and processing facilities, leveraging the Federal Government’s 40 percent Presidential subsidy on agricultural equipment.
A structured aggregation system will further guarantee minimum prices above prevailing market rates, providing women farmers with predictable incomes and direct access to off-takers.
The Minister said implementation would commence in Plateau, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Bauchi and Nasarawa States before expanding nationwide.
She noted that the MoU establishes a governance framework comprising a Joint Steering Committee, Programme Management Unit and State Coordination Nodes to drive implementation, while detailed financing arrangements and project agreements will be developed by both institutions.
Expressing confidence in the collaboration, Sulaiman-Ibrahim said:
“You bring the finance; we bring the women, the reach and the mandate. Together, we make women-led agriculture bankable at scale.”
Addressing women farmers across the country, she added:
“Your work feeds this nation, and today this nation invests in you.”
The partnership underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive economic growth by expanding access to agricultural finance, strengthening women-owned enterprises and building a more resilient and productive agricultural sector capable of driving sustainable national development.
