The Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, CON, has launched the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Simplified Policy Document, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s agrifood systems in line with continental agricultural frameworks.

The launch took place during the Community of Practice (CoP) meeting held on Monday, 6th October 2025, at Fraser Suites, Abuja. The meeting brought together Commissioners of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Rural Development from across the country to deliberate on strategies for advancing agricultural transformation and boosting food security in Nigeria.

Speaking during the event, Senator Kyari emphasized that as the Malabo Declaration (2014–2025) comes to an end, the newly adopted Kampala Declaration (2026–2036) will guide Africa’s agricultural development for the next decade. He explained that the Kampala Declaration will focus on scaling up agricultural investments, fostering inclusivity, strengthening intra-African trade, and promoting innovation and technology adoption across the continent.

“The responsibility before us is great, but so too is the opportunity. We must move beyond business-as-usual approaches and embrace bold reforms that will make our food systems more productive, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable,” he stated.

Highlighting key Federal Government interventions aimed at achieving food security and economic growth, the Minister disclosed that 2,000 tractors and implements have been provided to support mechanized farming and improve agricultural productivity.

He added that Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) have been launched in Kaduna, Cross River, and Ogun States, with additional states to follow. According to him, the project already leverages $538.05 million in investments and is projected to attract an additional $1 billion by 2027, boosting agribusiness, employment, and rural development.

Senator Kyari also announced the introduction of the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Program (NIPHAST), designed to address postharvest inefficiencies estimated at ₦3.5 trillion annually. The program aims to reduce food waste, enhance agricultural value chains, and strengthen national food sovereignty.

To ensure effective coordination, the Minister revealed that an Agricultural Sector Working Group has been established, bringing together research institutions, the private sector, development partners, and civil society organizations. The group will serve as a governance mechanism to promote accountability, scale up best practices, and stimulate collective action within the agricultural sector.

According to him, these initiatives are expected to raise household incomes, create direct and indirect employment—especially for youth and women—and build a resilient agricultural value chain that guarantees national food security.

Senator Kyari urged stronger collaboration between Federal and State Governments, noting that synergy is essential for sustainable agricultural transformation under the Kampala Declaration. He then declared the CoP meeting open after unveiling the CAADP Simplified Policy Document, which serves as an accessible guide for policy domestication and agricultural transformation at both national and sub-national levels.

The Federal Government of Nigeria and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have approved a two-year extension of the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) to strengthen its achievements and deepen its impact across participating states.

At the opening of the Joint FGN/IFAD 12th Supervision Mission in Abuja, the Director of the Federal Department of Development Partners Projects (FDDPP) in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mrs Iluromi Adebola, praised the collaboration between the Federal and State Governments, IFAD, farmers, and the private sector. She described the VCDP as a flagship initiative that is “driving food security, enhancing productivity, and improving rural livelihoods nationwide.”

According to Mrs Adebola, the extension of the programme followed its impressive results and visible impact in the nine participating states—Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Taraba, Anambra, and Ogun. The programme focuses on developing rice and cassava value chains, providing smallholder farmers with improved technologies, better market access, and higher income opportunities.

She revealed that rice yields among VCDP farmers have increased to between 5 and 6 tonnes per hectare, compared to the national average of 2 to 2.5 tonnes per hectare. This improvement, she said, demonstrates the success of the programme in promoting modern farming methods and supporting food security in Nigeria.

Mrs Adebola also noted that women and youth have become more involved in agribusiness innovation through initiatives that convert agricultural waste into value-added products such as briquettes and animal feed. She explained that this has encouraged environmental sustainability while expanding economic opportunities in rural areas.

The IFAD Country Director and Head of Mission, Mrs Dede Ekoue, commended the programme’s achievements and reaffirmed IFAD’s commitment to aligning with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Agriculture Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), and the Kampala CAAP Declaration.

She urged all stakeholders to maintain the programme’s momentum beyond its current phase, adding that IFAD will continue to support Nigeria’s agricultural and food systems transformation.

The 12th Supervision Mission will run from 6th to 31st October 2025 to review progress, assess challenges, and plan new strategies to strengthen results across the participating states.

Nigerian smallholder farmers have earned over $40 million in agricultural sales under the Federal Government and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) co-funded Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), according to the IFAD Country Director, Mrs Dede Ekoue.

Ekoue made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during the inception workshop of the 12th Joint Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and IFAD Supervision Mission of the VCDP.

The $334 million programme, jointly financed by IFAD and the Federal Government, has been instrumental in transforming smallholder agriculture, particularly in rice and cassava value chains.

Ekoue described the initiative as a demonstration of Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening food systems, boosting productivity, and improving rural livelihoods. She said the programme had delivered visible results that contribute to national and continental agricultural goals.

Highlighting the key achievements, she explained that rice yields among participating farmers had increased to between 5 and 6 metric tonnes per hectare, compared to the national average of 2 to 2.5 tonnes. She noted that through the Commodity Alliance Forum (CAF), which serves as the programme’s public-private-producer partnership platform, farmers generated more than $40 million in sales from 878 formal agreements with off-takers, benefitting over 16,000 rice farmers across participating states.

“These achievements reflect the power of collaboration between federal and state governments, farmers, communities, the private sector, and IFAD,” Ekoue said. “We are proud to see how the VCDP aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), and the AU Kampala Declaration on agricultural transformation.”

She further revealed that over 39,000 beneficiaries, including 12,000 youth and 22,000 women, had been trained in income-generating activities, enabling them to move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture. Ekoue also highlighted several sustainable innovations introduced through the programme, such as the conversion of agricultural by-products into briquettes and animal feed, promoting environmental sustainability and creating new business models for women and youth.

According to her, IFAD had continued to support the inclusion of climate-smart agricultural practices, digital weather and market information tools, and investments in irrigation, land development, and erosion control through the Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP).

To further consolidate progress, she announced that IFAD had approved a two-year extension for the VCDP to strengthen its impact and achieve new milestones. “This 12th supervision mission will assess our progress, address implementation challenges, and shape the next phase of the programme,” she added.

Speaking at the event, Dr Fatima Aliyu, the National Programme Coordinator of VCDP, said the programme had proved that smallholder farming could be both profitable and sustainable, challenging long-standing beliefs that only large-scale farming could drive agribusiness growth.

“When you go to any VCDP state, you will see ownership; you will see that lives have been changed. Our farmers are employers of labour, they are creditworthy, and they have proven that smallholder farming can deliver economic scale,” Dr Aliyu said.

She noted that the VCDP’s work directly supports the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises social inclusion, food security, and poverty reduction, all aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Also speaking, Mrs Iluromi Adebola, Director of the Federal Department of Development Partners Projects (FD-DPP) at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, described the VCDP as one of the government’s flagship agricultural initiatives that continues to deliver measurable success across several states.

She said the programme, which is being implemented in nine states — Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Taraba, Anambra, and Ogun — has achieved significant progress in productivity, market linkages, and the inclusion of women and youth in the agricultural value chain.

“The testimonies of beneficiaries and the visible transformation in the field are strong evidence of success. The Federal Ministry remains deeply committed to sustaining and consolidating these achievements and ensuring that the programme’s impact reaches more households across Nigeria,” Adebola stated.

She reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to maintaining the VCDP partnership with IFAD, expressing confidence that with continued collaboration, the programme would drive economic diversification, food security, and rural transformation across the country.

The supervision mission, which runs through October 31, is expected to evaluate progress, share best practices, and make recommendations to improve implementation and expand the programme’s impact in the coming years.