….hail achievements under Renewed Hope Agric Agenda

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – Farmers’ associations and cooperatives across Nigeria, weekend, jointly passed a Vote of Confidence on the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund, NADF, Muhammed Abu Ibrahim.

The farmers passed the vote of confidence as contained in a statement signed by the President, Coalition of Farmers Associations of Nigeria, COFAN, and President All African Youth Forum Dr. Abubakar Bamai Musa; President, Himma Youth Farmers Association, Ahmed Yusuf; and Representative, Women Farmers and Youth Cooperative Farmers, Amb Aisha Musa.

According to the farmers, they took the decision in recognition of NADF Ibrahim’s outstanding leadership and transformative contributions to the agricultural sector, also, saying that their position was reached following a comprehensive assessment of the programmes and interventions implemented under his stewardship.

Meanwhile, they said his leadership of NADF has significantly strengthened food security, empowered farmers, enhanced agro-processing capacity, and modernized agricultural systems across the country, making NADF a critical driver of agricultural development, aligning strongly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The leaders expressed their full confidence in the Executive Secretary, noting that his leadership has been instrumental in advancing national food security, strengthening rural livelihoods, and positioning Nigeria’s agriculture for sustainable growth and global competitiveness.

They further called for continued support for NADF’s programmes to ensure that the gains recorded are sustained and expanded.

Based on the groups’ assessment of the Ibrahim-led NADF, key achievements and interventions were highlighted including; Free Agricultural Input Distribution to Ginger Farmers in Kaduna State (2025): Support to farmers affected by the ginger blight epidemic, reviving production and sustaining livelihoods.

Free Input Support to Farmers in Niger State: Distribution of essential farm inputs to boost productivity and improve crop yields.

AgGROW 1.0 Programme: Provision of up to 75% subsidy support to agro-processors nationwide, strengthening value addition and commercialization; Strategic Agricultural Grant and Financing Support: Disbursement of over ₦19.5 billion to approximately 50,000 smallholder farmers, improving resilience and productivity.

NADF–Niger State Agricultural Financing Partnership: A ₦5 billion co-financing initiative supporting large-scale rice and maize production and expanding rural employment; National Agricultural Mechanization Programme: A major initiative targeting the deployment of 10,000 tractors nationwide to modernize farming practices and boost efficiency.

Others are; Agricultural Research and Institutional Revitalization Programme: Investment in 16 Agricultural Research Institutes and 17 Federal Colleges of Agriculture to enhance innovation and research capacity. Climate-Smart and Digital Agriculture Initiatives: Strategic collaborations introducing technologies such as drones, IoT, and blockchain to improve agricultural productivity and monitoring systems; Youth and Women Agribusiness Empowerment Initiatives: Targeted programmes increasing inclusion, access to finance, and participation of youth and women in agriculture.

Planned National Fertilizer Distribution Programme: A large-scale intervention aimed at supporting smallholder farmers across 26 states during critical planting seasons.

The groups emphasized that these initiatives have restored confidence in agricultural financing and institutional support, while creating sustainable opportunities for farmers and agribusinesses nationwide.