By Chesa Chesa
The Federal Government has received the final report of the National Technical Working Group (NTWG) on the World Bank-supported $500 million Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth (AGROW) Programme, paving the way for the commencement of the implementation phase of the initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Vice President Kashim Shettima received the report on Tuesday during a briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, describing the milestone as a significant step towards placing farmers at the centre of national economic planning and policy implementation.
He said the AGROW programme is designed to bridge the long-standing gap between farmers and the institutions responsible for shaping agricultural policies and economic decisions.
“The challenge in agriculture has always been the distance between those who till the land and the systems that determine the value of their labour. Today, we are beginning the process of closing that gap,” the Vice President said.
Shettima described the report as the culmination of a comprehensive design process and formally declared the transition of the programme from planning to implementation.
According to him, the World Bank-supported initiative was developed through seven zonal consultations involving 32 states, reflecting the growing commitment of sub-national governments to agricultural development and their readiness to take greater responsibility for productivity, infrastructure, extension services and market development.
He noted that agriculture contributes about 23 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides employment for approximately 34 per cent of the country’s workforce, stressing that the sector remains central to economic growth, food security and poverty reduction.
“When yields rise, food prices decline, rural incomes improve, industries receive raw materials and pressure on our cities and foreign reserves eases. When yields fall, the entire economy bears the consequences of hunger. What we do for the farm, we do for the nation,” he said.
The Vice President disclosed that 71 per cent of the programme’s $500 million financing package, amounting to $355 million, will be implemented through participating states, placing state governments at the heart of project delivery.
He, however, observed that while the participation of 32 states demonstrates the enormous demand for agricultural investment, the available funding remains insufficient to address decades of deficits in extension services, rural infrastructure, technology, processing and market access.
Commending members of the National Technical Working Group for producing an inclusive and evidence-based report, Shettima formally accepted the document and announced the dissolution of the committee, saying its mandate had been successfully completed.
He said responsibility for the implementation phase would now rest with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, which chairs the National Steering Committee and hosts the Project Coordination Office.
Earlier, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State said governors across the country were fully committed to the initiative, recalling that members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had earlier been briefed by the World Bank on the programme.
He thanked the Vice President for ensuring the active involvement of states in the design process and pledged the support of the sub-national governments for the successful implementation of the project.
Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarabe, also assured the Federal Government of her state’s readiness to participate, revealing that Kaduna allocates more than 13 per cent of its annual budget to agriculture and would establish a state-level coordination mechanism to facilitate implementation.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Taiwo Oyedele, described the presentation of the report as a critical milestone, noting that the programme would not only boost food production but also contribute significantly to economic transformation, macroeconomic stability and job creation.
