FG Receives Final AGROW Report, Moves to Implement $500m World Bank Agricultural Programme

FG Receives Final AGROW Report, Moves to Implement $500m World Bank Agricultural Programme

The Federal Government has officially received the final report of the National Technical Working Group (NTWG) on the World Bank-supported $500 million Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth (AGROW) Programme, marking the completion of the programme’s design phase and paving the way for full implementation.

Speaking on Tuesday during the presentation of the report at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima said the AGROW initiative is designed to bridge the long-standing gap between farmers and national policy-making, placing agriculture at the centre of Nigeria’s economic transformation.

According to the Vice President, the programme reflects the Federal Government’s determination to ensure that the voices and realities of farmers are incorporated into national planning and development.

He described the report as the culmination of a comprehensive design process that restores farmers to the centre of Nigeria’s economic priorities.

“Today marks the transition of AGROW from programme design to implementation,” the Vice President said, noting that the initiative is aimed at developing an agricultural system rooted in the realities of farmers, implemented through state governments and capable of attracting private sector investment needed to transform agriculture from subsistence to commercial scale.

Senator Shettima observed that agriculture contributes about 23 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides livelihoods for approximately 34 per cent of the country’s workforce, making it one of the nation’s most critical sectors.

He stressed that improvements in agricultural productivity would strengthen food security, reduce inflationary pressure on food prices, create employment opportunities, supply raw materials for industries and contribute to broader economic growth.

“When yields rise, food prices decline, rural incomes improve, industries receive raw materials and pressure on our economy begins to ease. What we do to agriculture ultimately determines what happens to the nation,” he stated.

The Vice President disclosed that 71 per cent of the programme’s $500 million funding, amounting to $355 million, will be implemented directly through participating state governments, recognising that agricultural production occurs largely at the sub-national level.

He, however, noted that while 32 states participated in the programme’s design through seven zonal consultations, the available resources remain insufficient to address decades of infrastructure deficits, weak extension services, limited technology adoption and poor market access across the agricultural sector.

Shettima commended members of the National Technical Working Group for producing an inclusive, evidence-based and technically sound framework through collaboration involving federal and state governments, development partners and the private sector.

He subsequently accepted the final report and formally dissolved the National Technical Working Group, transferring responsibility for implementation to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, which will serve as Chair of the National Steering Committee and host the Project Coordination Office.

The Vice President also praised the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU) for coordinating the design process and serving as the Secretariat to the Technical Working Group.

Earlier, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State reaffirmed the commitment of state governments to the programme, recalling that members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) had previously been briefed on the initiative and expressed their support.

Similarly, Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, assured that the state government would establish a state-level coordination mechanism to facilitate timely implementation, noting that Kaduna already allocates over 13 per cent of its annual budget to agriculture.

Also speaking, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Taiwo Oyedele, described AGROW as a critical component of Nigeria’s broader economic reform agenda, noting that the programme would contribute to food security, job creation and macroeconomic stability.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, commended Vice President Shettima’s leadership in mobilising stakeholders and described AGROW as a transformative intervention for Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

He assured stakeholders that the ministry would ensure effective implementation of the programme in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Kyari explained that with the completion of the design phase, attention would now shift to the borrowing plan, financing agreements and other legal processes required before full implementation begins.

On behalf of the World Bank, AGROW Programme Leader, Ms. Bertine Kamphuis, reaffirmed the institution’s continued support for Nigeria’s agricultural transformation, expressing confidence that the programme would enhance food security and help lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

She also stressed the importance of stronger private sector participation across agricultural value chains and called for policies that create an enabling environment for investment.

Presenting the report, the Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Agriculture and Executive Secretary of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit, Ms. Marion Moon, said the National Technical Working Group developed an eight-indicator framework to identify priority agricultural value chains using an agroecological approach that aligns crops and investments with Nigeria’s climate, soil conditions and production potential.

She noted that extensive consultations involving 32 states and key agricultural stakeholders informed the final design of the AGROW programme, positioning it as one of Nigeria’s most comprehensive agricultural development initiatives in recent years.

FG Receives Final AGROW Report, Moves to Implement $500m World Bank Agricultural Programme