Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have stressed the need for inclusive agribusiness models that integrate smallholder farmers, women, and youth into commercial systems for mutual benefit.
This was disclosed at the 2SCALE–Dutch Consulate Media Engagement Forum in Lagos, themed “Inclusive Agribusiness in Nigeria: A Public-Private Dialogue.”
The Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Lagos, Michel Deelen, stressed the critical role of professionalising Nigeria’s agriculture sector.
He advocated for a shift from small, subsistence farms to a more industrialised model, emphasising the importance of mechanisation, agro-processing, and better inputs.
According to Deelen, this transformation would help bring down food prices and increase availability. Deelen also noted the strategic role women play in agriculture, saying that women-led initiatives have often proven more successful in projects supported by the Netherlands. He emphasised the need for sustained public-private dialogue to drive inclusive agribusiness and resilient food systems.
The Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Ayo Sotinrin, stated that the institution is digitising its processes to ease farmers’ access to funding.
“The bank has fully digitised most of its processes, enabling smallholder farmers to open accounts and apply for loans online through a simplified platform. This move aims to increase access to credit and reduce bureaucracy in the lending process.” He said the bank is adopting locally successful models and tailoring them for scale to tackle food insecurity and enhance agricultural exports under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Sotinrin also stressed the bank’s readiness to collaborate with other agribusiness-focused financial institutions to unlock more opportunities in the sector. He noted that a stronger BOA would offer more microcredit to small-scale farmers and syndicate large-scale financing for logistics and storage infrastructure.
“We are digitising a lot of our services to be able to know who our farmers are, which is the most important thing. Having a unique identification number for all the farmers allows us to know who we are financing. We can use their credit profiles to develop a credit scoring system, which would make access to credit easier based on their performance.”
The MD also said the bank has fully digitised most of its processes in the last three months, enabling smallholder farmers to open accounts and apply for loans online through a simplified platform.
“What that means is if you are able to access a facility through us, it won’t be through that cumbersome system. As long as you qualify, we will give you a facility.
“This isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. It is part of Mr. President’s vision under the food emergency declaration. We need to fix our impeded systems and develop new seed systems in Nigeria to increase productivity within the sector.”
Programme Director for 2SCALE, Marina Diboma emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships in empowering vulnerable communities and ensuring access to nutritious food.
She noted that despite challenges such as security issues, COVID-19, and input price hikes from the Russia-Ukraine war, the programme has stayed strong and delivered impactful results.
