The Federal Government, Oyo State Government and the World Bank have launched the Nigeria AgriConnect Compact, a new initiative aimed at strengthening agricultural value chains, improving food production and increasing opportunities for farmers and agribusinesses.
The initiative was launched in Ibadan as part of efforts to transform Nigeria’s agricultural sector by connecting farmers with better markets, financing, infrastructure, technology and other support needed to increase productivity.
AgriConnect is designed to focus on agricultural value chains and address some of the challenges that limit farmers’ ability to produce and earn more from their activities.
The partnership comes as Nigeria continues to seek ways to improve food security while reducing pressure from food imports and rising production costs.
Beyond increasing agricultural output, the programme is expected to support businesses operating across the agricultural value chain, including processors, distributors and other private-sector participants.
The involvement of the World Bank is also expected to provide additional technical and development support as stakeholders work to improve the efficiency of Nigeria’s agricultural system.
For farmers, stronger value chains can create better links between production and markets, while improved processing and distribution can help reduce losses and increase the value of agricultural products.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts by the government and development partners to make agriculture a stronger contributor to economic growth, employment and food security.
With agriculture employing millions of Nigerians, stakeholders say improving productivity and strengthening connections between farmers and markets will be important to expanding opportunities across the sector.
