President Bola Tinubu on Monday commissioned over 9,000 agricultural mechanization equipment as part of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanization Programme aimed at transforming Nigeria’s agriculture sector and achieving food sovereignty.
Speaking during the launch in Abuja, Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to modernizing agriculture and making it more attractive, particularly to the youth.
The President stated: “We are taking a monumental leap forward with the introduction of state-of-the-art agricultural equipment under the Renewed Hope initiative. This is a bold step toward achieving complete agricultural independence. I want to make agriculture more attractive—more sexy—for our youth.”
The equipment commissioned includes over 2,000 advanced tractors, 50 industrial-grade land preparation bulldozers, 12 fully equipped mobile workshops, and more than 8,000 specialized farming implements.
President Tinubu said the equipment will be deployed across the country to empower service providers, facilitate year-round cultivation, and create jobs, particularly for young Nigerians.
He emphasized that the government’s vision goes beyond food self-sufficiency, aiming to position Nigeria as a global agricultural powerhouse capable of supplying quality produce to international markets.
“Our ambition extends beyond mere self-sufficiency. We envision Nigeria as a global agricultural powerhouse, supplying quality produce to international markets while ensuring every citizen has access to affordable nutrition,” he stated.
Tinubu also commended the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for its efforts in tackling the country’s food crisis and emphasized the importance of accountability in the deployment and use of the equipment.
“To all stakeholders receiving this equipment, deploy them with maximum efficiency. We will supervise and hold you accountable,” he warned.
The President highlighted Nigeria’s bilateral collaboration with Belarus, noting its role in supporting youth training in technology, machine repairs, and fabrication. He assured continued government support through complementary programs at both national and sub-national levels.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, in his remarks described the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanization Programme as a historic milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward food sovereignty and agricultural transformation.
Kyari highlighted four key mechanization initiatives under the Renewed Hope programme, including: the John Deere Characterization Program, the Greener Hope Project, the Green Imperative Programme, and the newly launched Delaware Project.
According to him, the current programme represents the largest agricultural mechanization effort in Nigeria’s history. It includes 2,000 high-quality tractors with trailers and attachments, 10 state-of-the-art 330-horsepower combined harvesters, 12 mobile workshops, over 9,000 farming implements, and 9,000 sets of spare parts.
“This programme is designed to bring over 550,000 hectares of farmland into cultivation, produce more than 2 million metric tons of staple food, create over 16,000 jobs, and directly benefit more than 550,000 farming households across all six geopolitical zones,” the Minister said.
Kyari acknowledged the strong technical support and swift implementation efforts of APRE-BNCC, a Belarusian-led enterprise, and welcomed the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Victor Karankevich.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, in his remarks, highlighted the longstanding history of Belarus in producing and supplying agricultural implements to over 100 countries, and expressed their interest to also participate in the second phase of the mechanization program.
The event was attended by government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, development partners, and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
