FG Moves to Roll Out $500m World Bank-Backed AGROW Programme as Shettima Receives Final Report

The Federal Government has taken a major step towards implementing the $500 million World Bank-supported Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth (AGROW) Programme following the submission of the final report by the National Technical Working Group (NTWG).

Receiving the report at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday, Vice President Kashim Shettima described the milestone as the end of the programme’s design phase and the beginning of full implementation.

He said the initiative is aimed at placing farmers at the centre of national economic planning by strengthening agricultural productivity, expanding market access and attracting private sector investment.

“The challenge has always been the distance between farmers who till the land and the systems that determine the value of their labour. Through AGROW, we are bridging that gap,” Shettima said.

The Vice President noted that agriculture contributes about 23 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides livelihoods for 34 per cent of the country’s workforce, stressing that improving farm productivity is essential to food security, employment, poverty reduction and economic growth.

He explained that the programme was designed through seven zonal consultations involving 32 states, reflecting broad support from sub-national governments for agricultural transformation.

According to him, 71 per cent of the $500 million funding package, amounting to $355 million, will be implemented directly through participating states to strengthen infrastructure, extension services, technology adoption, processing and market development.

However, Shettima acknowledged that the funding would not be sufficient to address all the long-standing challenges facing the sector.

“The appetite is evident. The resources are not yet sufficient,” he said, while urging greater private sector participation to complement government efforts.

The Vice President formally accepted the final report and announced the dissolution of the National Technical Working Group, saying its assignment had been successfully completed.

He directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, which chairs the National Steering Committee, to take over responsibility for coordinating implementation of the programme.

Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule welcomed the development, saying state governments were fully committed to the initiative, having participated actively in its design through the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

Similarly, Kaduna State Deputy Governor Hadiza Balarabe said the state would establish a coordination mechanism to facilitate implementation, noting that Kaduna already allocates more than 13 per cent of its annual budget to agriculture.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Wale Edun, described the report as a significant step towards implementation, saying the AGROW programme would contribute to Nigeria’s economic transformation, job creation and macroeconomic stability.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, commended the Vice President for leading the stakeholder engagement process and said attention would now shift to the borrowing plan, financing agreements and legal processes required to commence implementation.

Also speaking, World Bank Programme Leader for AGROW, Bertine Kamphuis, reaffirmed the bank’s support for Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda, urging stronger private sector participation and sustained policy reforms to maximise the programme’s impact.

The AGROW initiative is expected to improve agricultural value chains, enhance food security, increase farmers’ incomes and stimulate investment across Nigeria’s agriculture sector.