The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called for the development of integrated digital infrastructure to expand agricultural extension services and provide millions of Nigerian farmers with timely and reliable information.

Making the call in Abuja over the weekend at the Africa Agribusiness Extension Summit (AAES) 2026, organised by Extension Africa, in partnership with NITDA, the agency’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, said Nigeria could no longer rely solely on conventional face-to-face extension services to meet the needs of its growing farming population.

Similarly, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, advocated increased investment in digital agricultural extension services to modernise farming, improve productivity and strengthen food security.

Inuwa, who was represented by the Director of e-Government, Salisu Kaka, stated that emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), could complement the existing extension workforce by connecting farmers with advisory services regardless of location.

He identified interoperability, scalability, security and reliable data as essential to building effective digital agricultural services, adding that the focus should be on developing an interconnected digital ecosystem rather than creating isolated platforms.

Inuwa also highlighted AI’s potential to analyse agricultural trends, provide recommendations and support early-warning systems that could help farmers respond to emerging threats.

Meanwhile, Kyari said the conventional extension system had weakened over the years, with the ratio of farmers to extension agents increasing significantly in many areas.

Therefore, he called for digital platforms that could deliver weather alerts, market information.

The minister stressed that digital solutions must be designed around farmers’ realities and should complement conventional extension services, rather than replace them. He also called for greater investment by state governments, increased participation of young people, and deliberate efforts to reach women farmers.

According to Kyari, improving productivity from millions of farmers would be critical to meeting Nigeria’s rising food demand, just as access to agricultural knowledge and advisory services could contribute to improved livelihoods and food security.

For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Extension Africa, Tajudeen Yahaya, said the organisation was established to address the gaps in Africa’s agricultural extension system and strengthen last-mile advisory services.

Identifying people, data, technology and partnerships as key pillars for building an effective extension system, he called for stronger collaboration among government, private-sector organisations, development partners and technology companies to overcome fragmentation in agricultural extension.