Daniel Adaji
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), Dr. Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, has charged officers of the ministry to ensure that the benefits of recent capacity-building programmes translate into improved performance, better service delivery, and measurable impact for Nigerian farmers.
He gave the charge on Monday, during the opening ceremony of a four-day Capacity Building Workshop held in Abuja, where officers of the ministry were trained on the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) Approach and other strategic agricultural initiatives aimed at strengthening food security.
Ogunbiyi said the true value of the training would not lie in attendance or certificates but in how participants apply the knowledge gained to their daily work.
He urged them to ensure that the capacity building does not end with the workshop, stressing that tangible outcomes for farmers and agribusinesses must follow.
The Permanent Secretary explained that the SHEP approach was designed to reposition smallholder farmers from subsistence farming to agribusiness by changing their mindset from “grow and sell” to “grow to sell.”
According to him, the model focuses on improving farmers’ income by building technical skills and strengthening market access through farmer-led market surveys, gender partnership, and business linkage development, thereby turning farming into a profitable enterprise.
He noted that the training aligns strongly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government, particularly its priority of achieving sustainable food security and reducing poverty through inclusive agricultural growth.
He described the programme as a deliberate investment in human capital aimed at strengthening the technical backbone of the ministry.
Ogunbiyi added that the workshop covers critical thematic areas central to modern agricultural governance and service delivery.
He commended “the well thought out modules included in this programme like improving agricultural and pastoral practices, modern extension methodologies, climate smart approaches , strengthened monitoring and evaluation systems, policy formulation, contract farming and the SHEP approach.”
“Collectively these areas are expected to promote all year round crop production, address food shortages, create employment opportunities, support climate adaption, and ensure that development initiatives are guided by sound evidence and reliable data”, he added.
He assured participants of the ministry’s continued commitment to achieving food security in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, urging officers to see themselves as key drivers of national stability, economic diversification, and employment generation through agriculture.
In his remarks, the SPRiNGS Coordinator, Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, represented by the Head of Research and Evidence, SPRING LEAD, Mr. Ephraim Enuch, said the organisation would work in partnership with the ministry towards strengthening extension services, Monitoring and Evaluations, data systems, and policy formations within the agricultural ecosystem.
The capacity-building workshop is part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to reposition the sector as a driver of food security, inclusive growth, and sustainable development across the country.
