Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima on Wednesday announced the creation of a ₦50bn Presidential Catalytic Seed Fund aimed at stimulating private sector-led seed value chains and speeding up agricultural productivity across the country. Shettima made the announcement at the 8th Edition of the SeedConnect Africa Conference and Exhibition organised by the National Agricultural Seeds Council in Abuja.
Represented by Dr Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, the Vice President said the new fund is expected to deliver wide social, economic, and environmental benefits for Nigeria. He explained that the initiative would help address long-standing structural bottlenecks within the seed value chain while unlocking the significant potential of the sub-sector.
According to him, the fund will also boost investment in National Seed Testing and Certification Laboratories across different parts of the country. He added that it would strengthen enforcement efforts against fake seeds and increase the involvement of youth and women in seed entrepreneurship.
Shettima also announced the launch of the Seeds for Renewed Hope Program, known as S-RHP, which he described as “a landmark initiative in our national agricultural transformation.” He said the programme represents the operational drive behind a wider strategy that is backed by the Presidential Catalytic Seed Fund.
He said, “This flagship initiative is the operational heartbeat of a broader strategy, empowered by the establishment of the Presidential Catalytic Seed Fund. This Fund, a dream finally realised, operationalises Section 45 of the NASC Act of 2019, providing the long-awaited financial engine to drive private-sector-led growth across the entire seed value chain.”
The Vice President explained that S-RHP is designed to strengthen the seed value chain from research to the farm. He said it will scale up climate-resilient varieties of strategic crops, support local seed companies with credit and infrastructure, and address the last-mile delivery challenge through digital platforms and partnerships. He added that the programme is also aimed at securing Nigeria’s food sovereignty by reducing import dependence and empowering citizens with better access to quality seeds.
He stated that the programme has a specific target between 2025 and 2027. According to him, the aim is “to boost Nigeria’s annual national seed requirement for major staple crops by 10% between 2025 and 2027, narrowing the demand-supply gap and significantly reducing Nigeria’s seed import bill.” He added that “S-RHP will redefine our seed landscape for the next decade.”
Shettima thanked development partners such as AGRA, JICA, FAO, the World Bank, Propcom+, and others for their support. He also urged the private sector to introduce new ideas and investments into the seed sub-sector, noting that they are vital to the country’s agricultural growth.
He emphasized that Nigeria cannot achieve strong progress in agriculture or reach food sovereignty goals without certified, climate-resilient, and high-yielding seeds. According to him, “Africa holds 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land. Here in Nigeria, we are powered by over 40 million farming households. Yet, our potential remains throttled because too many of our farmers still lack access to the very first link in the agricultural chain: high-yielding, climate-resilient, and certified seeds.”
He further said, “The truth is simple and uncompromising: The seed is the code. It is the first technology, the original data packet that determines the success or failure of the entire agricultural value chain. If the seed is weak, the harvest fails. If the seed is strong, the nation thrives. Nigeria cannot feed itself, and Africa cannot feed the world, on weak seeds.”
In his address, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, said President Bola Tinubu has given clear instructions to ensure that the right seeds are planted to feed the entire country. He stressed that farmers must move away from using saved seeds and instead adopt quality certified seeds sourced from dealers accredited by the National Agricultural Seeds Council.
Kyari noted that food sufficiency remains central to national stability. In his words, “Food sufficiency is the first currency of national stability.”
He said the government’s commitment is supported by existing long-term plans, including the Nigeria Vision 2050, the National Development Plan (2021–2025), the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy, and the ministerial roadmap.
According to him, food sovereignty has now become the main driver of Nigeria’s agricultural transformation. He explained that the goal is to strengthen food security through local capacity, national ownership, and inclusive economic growth.
Kyari listed several achievements recorded since the start of the Tinubu administration, noting that food prices are beginning to drop due to “targeted market interventions.” He said, “As we continue along this path, you will all agree with me that we are already beginning to witness a decline in food prices across several commodities, a reflection of ongoing targeted market interventions. While we are not yet where we want to be, this positive trend confirms that we are moving in the right direction.”
He also explained that the Ministry, working with the African Development Bank and state governments, has expanded the National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro-Pocket programme to improve input delivery and boost productivity. He said wheat production is improving, expanding from 15 states during the 2023/2024 dry season to more states in the 2024/2025 season. He added that this growth reflects efforts to increase self-sufficiency in major staple foods.
In his welcome address, Fatuhu Muhammed, Director General of NASC, said the SeedConnect Africa Conference and Exhibition has become a major annual platform that promotes collaboration, innovation, and strong partnerships across the seed value chain.
Muhammed said NASC has helped release over 60 high-yielding and climate-resilient crop varieties while strengthening collaborations with both local and international partners.
Speaking on the newly created ₦50bn Seed Fund, he explained that the fund carries a concessional 6% repayment rate and is domiciled with the Bank of Industry. He stated that the four-year revolving fund will support crop breeding, early generation seed supply, commercial seed production, regulation, and quality assurance.
He said, “Ultimately, it will empower farmers with timely access to high-quality seeds, enhance national food and nutrition security, significantly reduce import dependence, and reinforce the nation’s economic stability.”
