The Federal Government says it is pushing for a technology-enabled, youth-driven agricultural sector under the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), in a move to accelerate mechanisation, digital agriculture, and stronger research-commercialisation linkages.
Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, unveiled the plan at a High-Level Policy Dialogue in Abuja, themed “Bridging the Gap, Access to Finance, Empowering Youth and Women for Agribusiness Success”, organised by the African Development Bank.
Kyari says the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) is operational and forging partnerships to finance climate-smart agriculture, aggregation centres, storage hubs, and rural logistics systems aimed at boosting value addition and competitiveness.
According to him, NATIP offers a strategic framework to make agriculture more attractive, rewarding, and competitive, particularly for young people and women. “With NATIP, we are building a system that supports youth innovation, unlocks productivity, and rewards ambition. We must now ensure it delivers at scale,” the Minister adds.
He explains that the policy is part of a wider government effort to empower the next generation of agripreneurs, equipping them not only with access to finance but also the skills to absorb and grow that capital. “Our task is to make that vision real by unlocking the full productive power of Nigeria’s youth and women in agriculture,” Kyari says, adding that the drive is further reinforced by the recently launched National Agribusiness Policy Mechanism (NAPM) coordinated by the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU).
In what he describes as the most significant boost to agricultural finance in the nation’s history, Kyari announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) with ₦1.5 trillion.
The move, the Minister adds, will reposition the BOA as a dynamic development finance institution targeting youth and women-led agribusinesses with accessible credit and capacity development support.
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