By Stellamaries Amuwa
Tomato Jos Inc., a vertically integrated tomato farming and processing company in northern Nigeria, has secured a $2.5 million convertible-note investment from the European Union-funded Agriculture Financing Initiative (AgriFI) to expand climate-smart production and strengthen its engagement with smallholder farmers.
The investment, made by EDFI Management Company (EDFI MC) through AgriFI’s ACP Regional Window, will support product expansion, factory upgrades, packaging equipment, drip irrigation and measures to reduce production and energy costs.
Tomato Jos produces and markets packaged tomato paste across Nigeria, combining commercial farming, smallholder sourcing and local processing. More than half of its raw materials are sourced from smallholder farmers in Kaduna State.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said the investment demonstrated how sustainable private financing could support inclusive and climate-smart agriculture in Nigeria.
“Through the EU-funded AgriFI ACP Regional Window, this investment in Tomato Jos supports a Nigerian business that is creating local value from farm to shelf, reducing post-harvest losses and expanding market opportunities for smallholder farmers, particularly women,” Mignot said.
He added that the initiative was a practical example of how the European Union works with partners to mobilise sustainable private investment in agriculture.
The investment will also support the expansion of drip irrigation and factory capacity, while enabling Tomato Jos to introduce additional product formats and serve new customer segments, including business-to-business and hospitality customers.
According to the company, the investments are expected to improve the economics of local tomato processing by lowering energy and production costs.
EDFI MC Chief Executive Officer, Rodrigo Madrazo, said Tomato Jos combined a commercial model with development benefits by linking farmers to reliable markets while providing access to land, irrigation, inputs and technical support.
“AgriFI’s investment through the ACP Regional Window will enable targeted investments in drip irrigation and packaging capacity, helping to expand the product offer, reduce production costs, and catalyse further private investment for its next stage of growth,” Madrazo said.
Tomato Jos plans to increase annual fresh-tomato production from just over 4,500 tonnes currently to about 16,000 tonnes by 2029.
The company also expects to increase the number of smallholder farmers it engages annually from an estimated 500 to 1,500 over the same period, while targeting an increase of more than 150 per cent in income per farmer between 2024 and 2029.
Tomato Jos CEO, Mira Mehta, said the investment would help the company build a more resilient tomato value chain in northern Nigeria.
“It will enable investments that expand our production and market reach, reduce our energy costs and carbon footprint, and deepen our work with smallholder farmers,” Mehta said.
She said the company’s objective was to make locally produced, high-quality tomato paste more accessible to Nigerian consumers while creating more reliable economic opportunities for farming communities.
The company said its operations contribute to food security and import substitution by reducing post-harvest losses and increasing the availability of locally processed tomato paste.
The AgriFI investment is also expected to help catalyse a $6 million equity round in 2028, representing an anticipated leverage factor of 3.2 times.
NITDA wins two global awards for digital innovation
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has won two prestigious Golden World Awards (GWA) at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) awards ceremony in Athens, Greece.
NITDA, in collaboration with Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR) and the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), received the awards in the Artificial Intelligence in Crisis Management and Publication categories.
The recognition was for the establishment of the Crisis Communication Hub (CCHub), a national framework developed from empirical research on the application of artificial intelligence to crisis management and supported by NITDA.
The initiative is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to use emerging technologies in managing communication crises, combating misinformation and protecting public trust.
Among its key components is the deployment of artificial intelligence tools for crisis communication, proactive social listening and early identification of emerging threats.
The framework also seeks to detect fake news, deepfakes and other digital threats while promoting coordinated responses among relevant stakeholders during communication emergencies.
The awards were formally received during the global gathering at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens by Hajiya Hadiza Umar, representing NITDA, alongside Professor Yau Sule of IMPR.
The recognition highlights the growing application of artificial intelligence and digital technologies to public communication and crisis management in Nigeria.
It also underscores NITDA’s efforts to promote digital literacy, responsible and ethical adoption of artificial intelligence, and innovative communication strategies in the country’s digital transformation drive.
