The Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Muhammad Abu Ibrahim, has stated that agriculture is no longer just a livelihood but a goldmine of opportunities waiting to be tapped in Nigeria.
He also emphasized that the fund is ready to spearhead transformative initiatives aimed at redefining agriculture in Nigeria by leading the development fund for agricultural growth, sustainability, and economic prosperity, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
This announcement was made by the Executive Secretary at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, while delivering a convocation lecture on Saturday.
Abu Ibrahim 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 outlined the agency’s four major focus areas for funding agriculture: inputs, implements and mechanization, infrastructure, and emergency response to agricultural disasters.
According to the Executive Secretary, the new perspective on agriculture, as envisioned by the Fund, is aligned with global best practices.
“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,” said Abu Ibrahim.
With consistent support from the President, the NADF Executive Secretary stated that “the Fund is not just imagining a brighter future for Nigerian agriculture; we are building it.” He further added that, within the past year, the Fund has made remarkable strides in emergency response to agriculture, driving mechanization, building partnerships, and advancing research.
On emergency response, Abu Ibrahim highlighted the Fund’s involvement in addressing the Ginger Blight epidemic, which devastated Nigeria’s ginger crop. Ginger, one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing export commodities, was hit by an epidemic that wiped out about 80% of the produce.
“This disease occurred within the heart of Nigeria’s ginger-growing belt in Kaduna State, affecting seven local governments. It impacted about 10,000 hectares of farmland, thousands of farmers, merchants, processors, distributors, and the entire value chain typically associated with cash crops,” said Abu Ibrahim.
Regarding mechanization, the Fund’s boss disclosed that, following a Federal Government directive, NADF is implementing one of its mechanization programs in partnership with John Deere and TATA Africa Services. The project involves the deployment of 10,000 tractors over five years, with 2,000 units expected to be delivered this year.
He explained that this initiative would create jobs, boost crop yields, and make Nigerian agriculture globally competitive.
The Executive Secretary also mentioned that NADF has continued to build partnerships and collaborations to mobilize resources and optimize scale. To date, the Fund has engaged with numerous development partners, government agencies, and sub-national entities.
“Some of the key engagements include partnering with GIZ to develop a climate-smart agriculture and gender-inclusive framework for NADF programs. We are working with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on implementing the Fourth Industrial Revolution Technology Application (4IRTA), which includes deploying UAVs, IoT, and blockchain technology for crop production.”
Additionally, NADF has adopted a regional cluster approach for collaborating with sub-nationals, and preliminary engagements have been held with the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission), BRACED Commission, and the North-West Governors Forum, among others. These engagements aim to explore initiatives focused on climate-smart agriculture, seedling development, forest regeneration, and the development of priority value chains.
The NADF boss then challenged the graduating students to be bold, innovative, and relentless in seizing the opportunities that agriculture presents through technological innovation. He urged them to create opportunities for themselves and generate employment and wealth for smallholder farmers.
“First, embrace technology. Today’s agriculture thrives on innovation—whether it’s 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. 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.”
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Olusola Babatunde Kehinde, announced the launch of eight new programs and the accreditation of seven new courses approved by the National University Commission (NUC) for the current academic session.
The Vice Chancellor further commended NADF for its innovative strategies and interventions across the entire agricultural value chain in Nigeria.