FG Unveils Agricultural Mechanisation Policy, Plans Mega Tractor Assembly Plant
The Federal Government has unveiled the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and the National Agricultural Mechanisation Investment Strategy, as part of efforts to transform Nigeria’s agricultural sector, strengthen food security and achieve national food sovereignty.
The government also announced plans to establish a mega tractor assembly plant with an annual production capacity of between 2,000 and 4,000 tractors, in a move aimed at reducing dependence on imported agricultural machinery, creating jobs and building a sustainable mechanisation ecosystem in Nigeria.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the High-Level National Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Mechanisation in Abuja.
Kyari said the two policy instruments would provide a strategic framework for moving Nigeria from agricultural potential to a globally competitive agricultural powerhouse.
“Our ambition, therefore, must be larger than equipment ownership. We must build a Mechanisation-as-a-Service economy in which technology reaches the farmer when and where it is needed, at a cost that is commercially viable and sustainably financed,” the Minister said.
Mechanisation Beyond Tractors
The Minister stressed that agricultural mechanisation goes beyond the acquisition of tractors and implements, explaining that it encompasses the entire agricultural value chain, including land preparation, planting, irrigation, crop protection, harvesting, processing, storage, logistics, precision agriculture, digital technologies, financing, insurance, maintenance and after-sales services.
According to him, under the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme (RH-NAMP), the Federal Government has commenced the procurement and deployment of 2,000 tractors and more than 9,000 assorted implements and spare parts, describing the initiative as the largest single agricultural mechanisation programme undertaken in Africa.
He, however, noted that the real measure of success would not be the number of machines procured but whether the equipment becomes productive assets that are properly maintained, financed, utilised and made accessible to farmers.
Kyari said the planned assembly plant would support local production, reduce import dependence, create employment and strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural technology ecosystem.
Government Seeks Private-Sector Investment
The Minister called on investors, young Nigerians and women to take advantage of the emerging opportunities in the mechanisation sector.
“Nigeria is open for investment in agricultural mechanisation. We are not seeking capital merely to purchase machines. We are seeking partners to build an enduring agricultural technology and services ecosystem,” he said.
Kyari added that agriculture was no longer an area of neglect but an increasingly important sector for enterprise, technology and wealth creation.
He urged Nigerian youths to participate actively in the emerging mechanisation economy as equipment owners, operators, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Borno’s Agricultural Transformation Highlighted
The Minister cited Borno State as an example of sub-national commitment to agricultural transformation, noting that Governor Babagana Umara Zulum had supported farmers through the distribution of 200 truckloads of fertiliser and the development of more than a dozen solar-powered irrigation systems and sites aimed at extending the farming season.
Governor Zulum, who also addressed the dialogue, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in agriculture, describing the Federal Government’s mechanisation programme as an initiative capable of revolutionising Nigeria’s agricultural ecosystem.
He said greater mechanisation would improve productivity, strengthen food security and create opportunities for rural communities.
Government, Private Sector to Share Responsibilities
Kyari outlined a shared-responsibility framework for implementing the new policy.
Under the framework, the Federal Government will provide policy direction, standards and coordination, while state governments will support land access, infrastructure and implementation.
The private sector is expected to drive investment and service delivery, financial institutions will develop financing and risk-sharing mechanisms, while development partners and research institutions will provide technical support.
The Minister also announced the ratification of the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and the inauguration of its Implementation Taskforce, signalling the commencement of implementation.
‘Machines Alone Will Not Transform Agriculture’
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus O. Ogunbiyi, FNSE, said Nigeria must confront the longstanding challenges that have limited agricultural productivity.
He noted that farmers had for years faced inadequate machinery, high levels of drudgery, limited access to appropriate technology and insufficient investment across the agricultural value chain.
Ogunbiyi stressed that mechanisation should be viewed as a comprehensive economic ecosystem rather than simply the provision of tractors.
“A tractor without an operator is an idle asset. A machine without maintenance is a depreciating investment. Equipment without finance cannot reach the farmer,” he said.
He explained that the objective was to connect machinery with finance, trained operators, maintenance services, spare parts, digital systems, research, standards, farmers and markets.
According to him, farmers must remain at the centre of the intervention, with technology matched to terrain, machinery to farm size and financing to farmers’ cash-flow realities.
The Permanent Secretary also identified significant investment opportunities in machinery assembly and leasing, maintenance, spare-parts manufacturing, digital fleet management, operator training, irrigation, post-harvest technology and agro-processing.
He acknowledged the contributions of development partners, particularly the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), as well as the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, Institute for Agricultural Research, Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers, Standards Organisation of Nigeria and TracTrac Mechanisation Services Limited to the development of the policy frameworks.
TracTrac Highlights Private-Sector Impact
The Chief Executive Officer of TracTrac MSL, Mr. Godson Ohuruogu, said the dialogue represented a shift from years of discussions about agricultural mechanisation to the implementation of a national policy backed by an investment strategy.
He said TracTrac’s operations and its ISSAM Project with the Mastercard Foundation had reached more than 500,000 farmers, catalysed over ₦2 billion in investment, trained more than 6,000 youths, women and persons with disabilities, created about 3,000 jobs and established 567 cooperatives.
Ohuruogu stressed that the success of the policy should ultimately be measured by the impact experienced by farmers in their fields.
He said ratification of the policy should be regarded not as the end of the process but as the beginning of implementation, particularly in the areas of financing, technology and inclusion.
New Era for Nigeria’s Agriculture
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the mechanisation initiative would improve farmers’ livelihoods and increase food production.
The policy dialogue brought together government officials, state representatives, private-sector investors, financial institutions, development partners, researchers and agricultural stakeholders to chart a new direction for mechanisation in Nigeria.
The highlight of the event was the formal unveiling of the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and the National Agricultural Mechanisation Investment Strategy by the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum.
The Federal Government said the new framework is ultimately designed to build a modern, technology-driven and commercially viable agricultural sector capable of increasing productivity, creating jobs, attracting investment and moving Nigeria closer to food sovereignty.
FG Unveils Agricultural Mechanisation Policy, Plans Mega Tractor Assembly Plant