Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - The federal government has outlined a series of key reforms and programmes aimed at deepening private sector participation in Nigeria’s agricultural sector and strengthening food security across the Sahel region.
Speaking during a high-level panel discussion at the FAO
Hand-in-Hand Sahel Regional Initiative held in Rome, Italy, Minister of
Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, highlighted the
government’s strategic actions designed to attract sustainable investments and
accelerate agrifood transformation.
He listed key initiatives to include the National Agrifood
System Investment Plan (NASIP), which is being upgraded into a National
Public–Private Investment Portal, a transparent digital platform that
will showcase bankable opportunities in mechanization, irrigation, storage,
processing, logistics, and digital agrifood services.
He also announced streamlined investment incentives,
including targeted tax and import duty reliefs to encourage private investment,
alongside risk-sharing facilities developed in partnership with international
development organizations.
Kyari further disclosed that the government is scaling up
the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ), Africa’s largest such
initiative from eight to 27 states to provide integrated infrastructure
and reduce operational costs for agro-processors.
Additionally, the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation
Programme (NiPHaST) is being implemented to curb the N3.5 trillion lost
annually to postharvest inefficiencies through improved storage, cold chain,
and warehousing systems.
He said: “Strategic and robust public-private collaboration
will drive increased production and innovation, create an enabling environment,
and deliver better-quality investments in agrifood systems across the Sahel
region.”
He stressed the importance of strong institutions,
innovative financing, and smart governance in unlocking the potential of
farmers, processors, and small businesses, noting that “the pathway to upscale
is to implement laudable agenda. Implementation is not an abstract. It requires
due diligence, smart governance, and unwavering political will.”
Kyari reaffirmed the Ministry’s resolve to translate
policies into action, adding that the Ministry will be committed to the hard,
practical work of aligning policy with possibility; of turning investment
promises into concrete projects that create jobs, feed families, and empower
communities; of ensuring that the Hand-in-Hand Initiative delivers measurable,
lasting transformation for Nigeria’s agrifood systems.”
He assured that under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed
Tinubu, the government remains steadfast in creating an enabling environment
for both local and foreign investors.
“We will work hand in hand with FAO, IFAD, AfDB, the World
Bank Group, ECOWAS, and the private sector to turn investment promises into
concrete projects that feed families, create jobs, and strengthen food
sovereignty.”
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