Sanni Marvelous
President Bola Tinubu has urged stakeholders in the agricultural sector to rethink how finance is deployed.
He stressed that capital should no longer be seen as a barrier but as a catalyst for sustainable agricultural transformation across Africa.
Speaking at the 2025 African Agricultural Dialogue (AAD) held in Abuja on Wednesday, President Tinubu, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Livestock Development, Idris Ajimobi, said achieving lasting transformation in agriculture requires reimagining how capital flows, how risks are shared, and how financial mechanisms are structured.
According to him, collaboration among governments, private investors, and development partners is key to unlocking finance, empowering farmers, and ensuring that no community is left behind.
“Let us leave Abuja with a clear roadmap for mobilising and managing agricultural finance; firm commitments to strengthen blended finance, insurance, and credit systems; and a renewed determination to make agriculture and livestock truly bankable sectors,” Tinubu said.
He emphasised that the dialogue must produce tangible results, noting, “This Dialogue must not end in conversation, it must lead to commitments, capital, and concrete outcomes.”
The President’s remarks underscored the centrality of finance to Africa’s agricultural future, as the continent grapples with the dual challenge of ensuring food security and boosting productivity amid climate and economic pressures.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Muktar Maiha, in his address, said Nigeria is rewriting the story of agriculture by placing food security at the core of national development priorities.
He explained that the recent agricultural reforms are building a foundation for agribusiness-led transformation aligned with the AAD’s core objectives.
According to him, President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on agriculture and food security was not symbolic but a decisive call to action.
“It marked the beginning of a transformation that prioritizes production, investment, and inclusion,” Maiha said.
He noted that the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development represents a bold step towards unlocking the full potential of Nigeria’s livestock economy.
The move, he said, aims to promote peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders while harnessing livestock’s contribution to GDP, employment, and nutritional security.
“Complementing this effort is the recapitalization of the Bank of Agriculture, aimed at strengthening the financial backbone of rural enterprises and empowering agri-preneurs across various value chains,” the Minister added.
Maiha further identified key constraints to livestock sector growth — including financing gaps, weak infrastructure, and fragmented markets — and called for innovative financial instruments to address them.
“This is why platforms like AAD are indispensable. They help forge partnerships that de-risk agricultural lending, attract blended finance, and promote sustainable investments across livestock and allied value chains,” he said.
Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Hon. Yazid Shehu Umar Danfulani, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to bridging the gap between policy, productivity, risk management, and investment.
He said NAIC remains focused on acting as a catalyst for agricultural financing, supporting farmers through risk-sharing mechanisms and insurance products designed to enhance resilience and promote agribusiness sustainability.
The African Agricultural Dialogue 2025, attended by government representatives, private investors, development agencies, and farmers’ associations, provided a platform for stakeholders to explore innovative financing models to accelerate growth and sustainability in Africa’s agricultural and livestock sectors.
