The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari has said that the implementation of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) would accelerate the agricultural ecosystem, improve access to modern inputs aimed at making agriculture more attractive, rewarding, and competitive, especially for youth and women farmers.
The Minister stated this at the High-Level Policy Dialogue: “Bridging the Gap, Access to Finance, Empowering Youth and Women for Agribusiness Success”, by African Development Bank, held in Abuja, recently.
Sen. Kyari stated that the NATIP provides the strategic policy backbone for transforming agriculture into a tech-enabled, youth-driven sector, promotes mechanization, digital agriculture, research-commercialization linkages, among others.
He pointed out that “With NATIP, we are building that system, one that supports youth innovation, unlocks productivity, and rewards ambition. We must now ensure it delivers at scale”.
The Minister revealed that ‘’Federal Government of Nigeria’s National Agribusiness Policy Mechanism (NAPM), which was launched in May of this year and is being implemented under the coordination of the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU)’’.
He noted that “to translate these bold institutional reforms into real impact, we must now set clear delivery expectations. That means establishing annual lending targets for youth and women-led agribusinesses.
‘’It means designing guarantees to expand access—not inflate fees. It means financing cash flows, not just collateral. And it means equipping entrepreneurs not only with credit, but with the capabilities to absorb and grow that capital’’, the Minister added .
He noted that the initiative was gaining ground across a number of states, reaching about 250,000 farmers, early signs of what this framework would achieve when matched with political will, and strong coordination.
Kyari further revealed that “Mr. President , in articulating the Renewed Hope Agenda, placed food security and job creation not as standalone ambitions but as interdependent levers for economic diversification, social stability, and national sovereignty’’.
He added that ‘’this agenda affirms the right to feed ourselves with what we grow, process, and add value to. Food sovereignty means reclaiming control over food systems, reducing reliance on imports, and investing in the strength of Nigerian farmers, processors, and agribusinesses as the foundation of national resilience’’.
According to him, ‘’our task is to make that vision real by unlocking the full productive power of Nigeria’s youth and women in agriculture’’.
The Minister mentioned that ‘’the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) is active and building partnerships to finance climate-smart agriculture, aggregation centers, storage hubs, and rural logistics systems that enable value addition and competitiveness’’.
He stated that ‘’President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the recapitalization of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) with 1.5 Trillion Naira approximately 1 Billion US Dollars, marking the most significant boost to agricultural finance in Nigeria’s history’’.
He added that the recapitalization would reposition BOA as a dynamic development finance institution, with deliberate targeting of youth and women-led agribusinesses through accessible credit and capacity development support.
Signed
Ezeaja Ikemefuna
AD, Information
6/8/2025
