The Federal Government has graduated the first cohort of about 250 participants trained under the National Agricultural Mechanisation Service Providers (NAMSP) Training Programme, designed to strengthen technical capacity and improve the sustainability of agricultural machinery deployment across Nigeria.

The 10-day training programme, organised by the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, AGCOMS and relevant institutions and private-sector partners, focused on building the skills required for efficient mechanisation service delivery, machinery management, maintenance, occupational safety and enterprise development.

The programme targets to train 4000 tractor drivers and mechanics with an initial training of 250 persons drawn from across the country in the first phase.

Speaking at the closing ceremony on Thursday, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, represented by the Fund’s General Manager, Technical, Ernest Ihedigbo, said the graduation marked an important milestone in the Federal Government’s drive to modernise agriculture through mechanisation, innovation and human capital development.

Ibrahim said the programme was designed not only to train machinery operators and service providers but also to build the skills, systems and maintenance culture required to sustain agricultural productivity and strengthen Nigeria’s food and nutrition security.

According to him, the participants drawn from the six geopolitical zones underwent intensive training in agricultural mechanisation service delivery, machinery and equipment management, occupational safety, enterprise development, sustainable maintenance, environmental conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

“Beyond technical skills, the programme has strengthened professionalism, enterprise mindset and operational discipline required to sustain an efficient mechanisation ecosystem,” he said.

The NADF boss said the pilot cohort consisted of 250 trainees, adding that their certification by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) would qualify them for inclusion in a national database of proficient mechanisation service providers being developed by NADF.

He said the database would support long-term public and private-sector investments in agricultural machinery and implements and potentially enable certified service providers to be entrusted with multimillion-naira agricultural assets.

Ibrahim, however, stressed that sustainable mechanisation should not be measured by the number of tractors and other machines acquired but by the ability to keep them operational, productive and economically viable.

He noted that previous investments in agricultural mechanisation had sometimes failed to deliver their full value because of inadequate technical capacity, maintenance systems and accountability.

“The future of agricultural mechanisation in Nigeria depends not only on acquiring machines, but on sustaining them through technical competence, accountability, and responsible asset and environmental stewardship,” he said.

He said the NAMSP training was part of NADF’s broader interventions to address constraints across agricultural value chains, alongside the Farm Input Support Programme, which he said supports 109,000 smallholder farmers, and the Grassroots Digital Extension Corps initiative, which has trained 1,884 extension agents and food security specialists nationwide.

He added that NADF was also strengthening agricultural research institutions through investments in modern laboratories, digital extension infrastructure, biotechnology facilities, renewable energy systems, irrigation infrastructure and innovation platforms.

The NADF chief executive urged mechanisation associations and State Agricultural Development Projects to prioritise the recruitment and training of young people and women, particularly against the backdrop of rural-urban migration and the ageing farming population.

He said the graduates represented a new generation of skilled practitioners capable of improving machinery utilisation, reducing downtime, expanding access to mechanisation and protecting public and private investments in agricultural assets.

He called on the graduates to become ambassadors of professionalism, accountability and sustainability in Nigeria’s agricultural mechanisation ecosystem.

“Let your work increase productivity, expand access to mechanisation, preserve national investments, and accelerate Nigeria’s agricultural prosperity,” Ibrahim noted.

Also speaking, the National President of the Tractor Owners and Hiring Facilities Association of Nigeria (TOHFAN), Abdullahi Mohammed, commended NADF for bringing together 250 participants from different parts of the country for the training.

Mohammed said tractor operators, mechanics and service providers required continuous training to ensure that machines deployed to farms remained productive and sustainable.

He said while machinery vendors and manufacturers often provide initial training, their presence could not be guaranteed in every location where tractors operate.

“We need much of this training. The service provider wants training, the operator and the mechanic also need this type of training,” he said.

He appealed for continued collaboration between NADF, machinery manufacturers, vendors and service providers, as well as government support to make agricultural machinery more affordable.

Mohammed also said the training had helped unite tractor operators from different organisations and parts of Nigeria under a common platform.

In his remarks, the Director of Training at the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Hayatu Tambuwal, said the ITF was pleased with the outcome of the programme and had monitored the training from its commencement to the closing ceremony.

Tambuwal said the agency’s role was to evaluate the programme and provide certification, adding that its officials observed positive attitudes and evidence that learning had taken place among the participants.

He urged NADF to sustain its partnership with ITF and expand the training to other parts of the country, stressing that such programmes would require adequate funding and resources.

Representing Women in Mechanised Agriculture (WIMA), a beneficiary of the programme, Akuhwa Sewuese Michelle, said the 10-day training provided participants with practical knowledge and hands-on skills in tractor operation, safety, maintenance, servicing, basic troubleshooting and the use of agricultural implements.

She said the training had boosted the confidence of women participating in mechanised agriculture and demonstrated that women could play significant roles in agricultural mechanisation and service provision.

“We are not only here to learn; we are here to take these skills back to our communities and contribute to increased agricultural productivity, food security, employment and economic empowerment,” she said.

Michelle pledged that WIMA members would continue to practise and improve their skills, observe safety standards, maintain equipment entrusted to them and share their knowledge with other women and young people interested in agricultural mechanisation.