RismadarVoice Reporters
July 21, 2026
The Federal Government of Nigeria has concluded the design phase of the World Bank-supported $500 million Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth (AGROW) Programme, with Vice President Kashim Shettima receiving the final report of the National Technical Working Group (NTWG) ahead of full implementation.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during the presentation of the report, Senator Shettima said the AGROW programme would bridge the gap between farmers and national economic planning by placing agricultural producers at the centre of government policy and investment.
He described the presentation of the report as the transition of the programme from planning to implementation, noting that the initiative was designed to move Nigerian agriculture from subsistence farming to commercial-scale production through greater private sector participation and stronger collaboration with state governments.
The Vice President observed that agriculture accounts for about 23 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides livelihoods for 34 per cent of the country’s workforce, stressing that improving productivity in the sector remains critical to economic growth, food security, employment generation and poverty reduction.
According to him, “Today marks the transition of AGROW from programme design to implementation. The programme restores the farmer to the centre of our national economic reasoning, where he has always belonged.”
He noted that the programme was developed through seven zonal consultations involving 32 states, reflecting growing commitment by sub-national governments to agricultural development and their readiness to take greater responsibility for productivity, infrastructure, extension services and market access.
Senator Shettima disclosed that 71 per cent of the $500 million financing package, amounting to $355 million, would be implemented through participating states, adding that agriculture is best driven from the grassroots where farming activities take place.
While acknowledging the significance of the intervention, the Vice President said the funding would not be sufficient to address decades of deficits in agricultural infrastructure, extension services, technology, processing and market access, calling for increased private sector investment in the sector.
He commended members of the National Technical Working Group for producing what he described as an inclusive, evidence-based and technically sound report, before formally accepting the document and announcing the dissolution of the committee.
Responsibility for the implementation of the programme, he said, has now been transferred to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, which will coordinate execution through the National Steering Committee and the Project Coordination Office.
Earlier, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State reaffirmed the commitment of state governments to the successful implementation of the programme, noting that governors across the federation had expressed support for the initiative.
Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, also pledged her state’s readiness to implement the programme, revealing that Kaduna currently allocates more than 13 per cent of its annual budget to agriculture.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Taiwo Oyedele, described AGROW as a strategic initiative that extends beyond food production to economic transformation, macroeconomic stability and job creation.
Also speaking, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, described the programme as a game-changing intervention for Nigeria’s agricultural sector and assured stakeholders of the ministry’s commitment to its successful implementation in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
World Bank Programme Leader for AGROW, Ms Bertine Kamphuis, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in strengthening food security and reducing poverty through the programme, while calling for greater private sector participation across the agricultural value chain.
