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NADF has spearheaded transformative development under Tinubu — Fund’s boss

By Saxone Akhaine
26 January 2025   |   6:28 pm
The Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Muhammed Abu Ibrahim, has said that the Fund has continued to spearhead transformative initiatives aimed at redefining agriculture in Nigeria by leading the development of agricultural sustainability and economic prosperity in line with President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda. This was disclosed by Ibrahim at…

NADF has spearheaded transformative development under Tinubu — Fund’s boss

The Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Muhammed Abu Ibrahim, has said that the Fund has continued to spearhead transformative initiatives aimed at redefining agriculture in Nigeria by leading the development of agricultural sustainability and economic prosperity in line with President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.

This was disclosed by Ibrahim at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, while delivering the convocation lecture on Saturday.

In a statement made available to journalists in Kaduna on Sunday, the Executive Secretary said, “Our ultimate mission is to harness the transformative power of agriculture to drive socio-economic development through inclusive financing and sustainable support.”

The NADF boss, who served as the Convocation Guest Speaker, further revealed the four major focus areas of funding agriculture by the agency: inputs, implements & mechanization, infrastructure, and emergency response to agricultural disasters.

According to the Executive Secretary, the new perspective on agriculture, as envisioned by the Fund, aligns with global best practices.

He said, “Agriculture today is a thriving playground of innovation, technology, and boundless opportunity—with drones that monitor crop health, apps that connect farmers to markets, and advanced machinery that maximizes yields. The possibilities are endless. Agriculture is no longer just a livelihood; it is a goldmine of opportunities waiting to be tapped.”

With the consistent support of Mr. President, the NADF said that “the Fund is not just imagining a brighter future for Nigerian agriculture; we are building it.”

He further said that within the past year, the Fund has achieved remarkable footprints in emergency response to agriculture, driving mechanization, building partnerships, and conducting research.

In emergency response, Ibrahim explained that the first project the Fund addressed was the Ginger blight epidemic, pointing out that

“Ginger, Nigeria’s fastest-growing export commodity, was hit by a devastating epidemic that wiped out about 80% of produce.”

“This disease occurred within the heart of Nigeria’s ginger-growing belt in Kaduna State, affecting 7 local governments, with estimates of about 10,000 ha of farmland, thousands of farmers, merchants, processors, distributors, and the whole value chain normally associated with cash crops,” he noted.

READ ALSONigeria needs extra $180 million to fund agric sector, says NADF

In mechanization, the Fund boss hinted that the Federal Government had directed NADF to implement one of its mechanization programs in partnership with John Deere and TATA Africa Services.

The project entails the deployment of 10,000 tractors over a period of 5 years, starting with 2,000 units this year. According to him, this initiative will create jobs, boost crop yields, and make Nigerian agriculture globally competitive.
The Executive Secretary said NADF has continued to build partnerships and collaborations in resource mobilization and optimization of scale.

He added, “To date, the Fund has engaged with numerous development partners, government agencies, and sub-nationals. Some of the key engagements include partnering with GIZ to develop a climate-smart agriculture and gender-inclusive framework for NADF programmes. We are working with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on the implementation of the

Fourth Industrial Revolution Technology Application (4IRTA) to deploy UAV, IoT, and blockchain technology for crop production.

“In the same vein, NADF has adopted a regional cluster approach for collaborating with sub-nationals, and various preliminary engagements have been held with the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission), BRACED Commission, and North-West Governors Forum, amongst others, to explore initiatives around climate-smart agriculture, seedling development, forest regeneration, and the development of priority value chains.”

To ensure an evidence-based and demand-driven approach to agriculture, the NADF Executive Secretary pointed out that home-grown solutions, adaptable to constant changes, were key.

READ ALSOGinger farmers get N1.6b input support from NADF

He added that the NADF has concluded a needs assessment of 16 Agricultural Research Institutes (ARIs) and 17 Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCAs) to identify their critical funding needs and scope commercially viable projects for which the NADF can attract private funding.

“This is in recognition of the importance of research in agriculture, taking into consideration the dearth of funding for research development, a key challenge that has inhibited the potential of agriculture in Nigeria,” said Abu Ibrahim.

The NADF boss then challenged the graduating students of the University to be bold, innovative, and relentless by seizing the opportunities agriculture presents through technological innovation to create opportunities for themselves and generate employment and wealth for smallholder farmers.

He added, “First, embrace technology. Today’s agriculture thrives on innovation—whether it is using precision farming techniques, leveraging artificial intelligence to predict weather patterns, adopting digital platforms to connect farmers directly with markets, or using RFID chips for animal traceability. Innovation comes from challenging the status quo and daring. You must look at the agricultural value chain and identify areas for improvement. Your ideas, no matter how small they may seem, could solve some of the biggest challenges facing our sector.”

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