A Nigerian delegation departed for Morocco yesterday to formalise a partnership with Morocco towards strengthening the West African nation’s agricultural intelligence capability and improving its food security through a technology-driven national agro-productivity system.

The delegation is led by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, on behalf of Vice President Kashim Shettima, who chairs the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), according to the Technical Assistant to the President on Agriculture in the Office of the Vice President and Executive Secretary of the PFSCU, Marion Moon.

Under the arrangement, Nigeria will establish its first national geospatial agricultural intelligence platform, designed to provide real-time information on crop locations, available farmland, production forecasts and emerging food security threats across the country.

Moon said Hadejia would, on July 17, sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with OCP Africa and Ground Truth Analytics to implement the initiative, adding that the agreement represents a major shift in Nigeria’s agricultural planning by placing data and technology at the centre of food production and policy decisions.

She noted that “the future of agriculture depends not only on improved inputs, but equally on stronger intelligence,” adding that “through this partnership, Nigeria is strengthening the institutional capabilities needed to plan better, respond faster and make more informed decisions.

“It also reflects the federal government’s commitment to stronger coordination, recognising that sustainable development is accelerated when institutions work together around shared national priorities.”

Moon explained that the National Agro-Productivity System, to be coordinated by the PFSCU under the National Agribusiness Policy Mechanism, would equip federal, state and local governments with timely intelligence on agricultural land availability, crop performance, growth stages and projected yields.

She added that the system is also expected to strengthen production planning, food security monitoring, agribusiness investment, early warning systems and evidence-based policymaking.

Meanwhile, the project’s phase one is expected to involve a six-month pilot in three states, focusing on technology localisation through dataset calibration, ground-truthing and institutional capacity building, before nationwide deployment.

Moon added that the Moroccan visit would also enable the Nigerian delegation to undertake technical engagements and institutional exchanges to support the successful implementation of the pilot phase.

Nigeria’s food crisis worsened after the removal of petrol subsidy and exchange rate reforms in 2023, with food inflation climbing above 40 per cent in early 2025 amid insecurity in major food-producing areas, flooding and climate-related disruptions.

OCP Africa, a subsidiary of Morocco’s OCP Group, is one of the continent’s leading fertiliser companies, while Ground Truth Analytics specialises in satellite-based crop monitoring and geospatial agricultural intelligence across Africa.