The Federal Government has pledged to work with a farmers’ association to support the implementation of the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, an initiative aimed at boosting economic activities across Nigeria’s 8,809 wards.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, made the commitment on Wednesday during a meeting in Abuja with the leadership of the Crop, Aquaculture, Livestock Farmers and Value Chain Economic Actors Association of Nigeria (CALFAN).
During the meeting, the farmers’ group offered to collaborate with the Federal Government to accelerate the implementation of the programme, which was unveiled last year as part of President Bola Tinubu’s broader development agenda.
Bagudu explained that the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme is designed to reshape Nigeria’s development planning by shifting focus to the ward level, the smallest administrative unit in the country’s governance structure.
According to him, the initiative seeks to unlock economic opportunities within communities by encouraging closer collaboration among the federal, state, and local governments while also involving organised stakeholders and citizens.
“The Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme aims to address this by concentrating development planning at the ward level, which is the lowest administrative unit in Nigeria’s governance structure,” the minister said.
He noted that Nigeria’s development framework has often been affected by weak coordination among the three tiers of government, leading to duplication of efforts, inefficiencies, and disruptions in development initiatives.
Bagudu stressed that the programme is intended to correct these gaps by creating a coordinated approach that allows communities to participate directly in identifying and developing their economic opportunities.
He revealed that Nigeria has a total of 8,809 wards, each with its own economic potential that can be harnessed through targeted interventions and local participation.
“Our belief is that every ward in Nigeria is an acre of diamonds waiting to be uncovered,” Bagudu said.
“Each community has its own strengths and potential, and development strategies must reflect these distinctive qualities.”
The minister further explained that the programme encourages a bottom-up approach to development planning, where communities are expected to identify priority economic activities that can drive growth within their localities.
Under the framework, wards will determine their key economic opportunities, after which the federal government, state governments, local authorities, and development partners will collaborate to provide the required support.
He emphasised that human capital remains the most important resource in any community, adding that effective development planning must begin with a proper understanding of the people and skills available within each locality.
Bagudu also linked the initiative to President Tinubu’s vision of transforming Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy, noting that decentralised development programmes will play a significant role in unlocking growth across the country.
He said initiatives such as the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme are intended to stimulate productivity, strengthen local economies, and ensure that development reaches communities directly.
Speaking during the meeting, CALFAN National President, Aliyu Abdulraheem, expressed the association’s readiness to partner with the Federal Government in implementing the programme at the grassroots level.
He outlined the association’s proposal to serve as a field-level implementation partner, leveraging its nationwide structure to support the rollout of the initiative across communities.
According to Abdulraheem, CALFAN has already established grassroots operational structures, including Ward-Level Extension Service Offices designed to engage directly with farmers and other value chain actors.
He also highlighted the association’s digital platform, which supports real-time beneficiary identification, community mobilisation, data collection, and monitoring of development activities.
The platform, he explained, can be used to conduct economic mapping of rural communities, infrastructure assessments, and digital surveys while enabling real-time data gathering to support evidence-based policy decisions.
Abdulraheem added that the association’s structure brings together participants across the entire agricultural value chain, including farmers, input suppliers, processors, transporters, traders, and service providers.
The meeting provided an opportunity for both parties to discuss how CALFAN’s grassroots network and digital tools could support the Federal Government’s efforts to drive inclusive economic growth through the ward-level development initiative.
