The Federal Government has commenced the implementation of the $500 million Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth (AGROW) Programme following the submission of the final report by the National Technical Working Group.
Receiving the report at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday, Vice President Kashim Shettima said the initiative would place farmers at the heart of Nigeria’s economic planning and agricultural development.
“Today marks the transition of AGROW from programme design to implementation,” the Vice President said.
He described the programme as one rooted in the realities of Nigerian farmers and designed to attract private investment capable of transforming agriculture from subsistence to commercial scale.
Shettima noted that agriculture contributes 23 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides livelihoods for 34 per cent of the country’s workforce, stressing that the sector deserves greater investment.
“When yields rise, food prices ease, rural incomes recover, industries receive raw materials, and the pressure on our cities and foreign reserves begins to relax. When yields fall, the entire economy discovers the price of hunger,” he said.
The Vice President disclosed that $355 million, representing 71 per cent of the programme’s financing, would be implemented through participating state governments to improve productivity, infrastructure, extension services and market access.
He, however, noted that the funding alone would not address the country’s agricultural challenges.
“The appetite is evident. The resources are not yet sufficient,” Shettima said, calling for greater private sector investment in the sector.
He formally accepted the report and dissolved the National Technical Working Group, transferring responsibility for implementation to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State said governors across the country were fully committed to the programme.
“The governors are fully in support of this laudable programme,” Sule said.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Taiwo Oyedele, described AGROW as more than an agricultural intervention.
“The programme goes beyond food production. It is an integral part of Nigeria’s economic transformation, macroeconomic stability and job creation drive,” he said.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the government would now focus on completing the financing and legal processes required to move the programme into full implementation.
World Bank Programme Leader Bertine Kamphuis reaffirmed the Bank’s support, saying the final report provides an opportunity for Nigeria to strengthen food security while lifting more citizens out of poverty.