NIGERIA DAY AT 9AASW: FG OPERATIONALIZES NADF TO DRIVE AGRI-RESEARCH COMMERCIALIZATION
The Federal Government has announced the operationalization of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) during Nigeria’s Country Session at the 9th Africa Agricultural Science Week, 9AASW, in Abuja.
Speaking at the event on Wednesday 29th July, 2026, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, stated that NADF marks a strategic shift in agricultural financing and will bridge the gap between scientific discovery and commercial application.
Sen. Kyari stated that “a landmark achievement in this regard is the operationalization of the National Agricultural Development Fund. The Fund provides a more sustainable mechanism to support research, technology development, enterprise creation, value-chain modernization, and private-sector participation’’.
He revealed that ‘’under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, agriculture has been placed at the heart of Nigeria’s economic renewal and food security agenda.
The Minister pointed out that key areas of investment include digital agriculture, mechanization, climate-smart production systems, seed systems, Value Chain-Based Extension, livestock development, irrigation, value addition, and the marine and blue economy.
He noted that Nigeria, as Africa’s largest economy and one of its leading agricultural producers, recognizes that future food security depends not only on expanding cultivated land but on expanding knowledge.
He emphasized that “Agricultural research is therefore no longer viewed as a supporting function but as a strategic national investment that drives productivity, resilience, competitiveness, and long-term prosperity’’.
The Minister outlined five strategic priorities for the sector:
– Strengthening scientific excellence
– Accelerating digital transformation through AI, remote sensing, GIS, and data analytics
– Promoting commercialization and private-sector participation, including technology licensing, innovation incubation, and agritech enterprises
– Investing in human capital and youth participation
– Deepening partnerships with FARA, AU, AUDA-NEPAD, CGIAR Centers, ECOWAS, and the private sector
He said the Government is also strengthening digital advisory services to ensure research outputs reach farmers faster through stronger partnerships between researchers, extension professionals, and agribusinesses.
Kyari added that ‘’the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) and National Agricultural Research Institutes are being repositioned with investments in modern laboratories, digital data systems, scientific equipment, and institutional governance’’.
Looking ahead, Senator Kyari said Nigeria will target artificial intelligence, biotechnology, robotics, remote sensing, genomics, and digital technologies to build a globally competitive, digitally enabled, climate-smart, and commercially driven research system.
“The future belongs to nations that invest in knowledge as deliberately as they invest in infrastructure. Nigeria has made that choice. We choose science as the foundation of food security, innovation as the driver of prosperity, and partnership as the pathway to sustainable agricultural transformation,” he said.
The Minister also revealed that Nigeria aspires to become a regional Centre of excellence in agricultural research and innovation, and called on Africa to invest more boldly in its own scientists and institutions.
He stressed that “no nation can transform African agriculture alone. Nigeria therefore remains committed to working with FARA, the African Union, AUDA-NEPAD, CGIAR Centres, Regional Economic Communities, and all our partners to build a resilient and competitive African agrifood system,”.
“Change is here; let us sustain it, let us accelerate it, and let us build it together,” the Minister concluded.
In his welcome address, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, stated that “today is a special occasion for us because it provides an opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s agricultural journey while celebrating our shared African commitment to science, innovation and partnership in transforming our agri-food systems.”
“Your participation reflects a common belief that no nation can achieve food security, climate resilience and agricultural prosperity in isolation. The future of agriculture will be shaped by collaboration, by shared knowledge, and by our willingness to learn from one another,” he said.
Sen Abdullahi added that “Nigeria is proud to be home to one of Africa’s largest and most vibrant National Agricultural Research Systems, comprising sixteen National Agricultural Research Institutes and eighteen Federal Colleges of Agriculture, working in close collaboration with universities, development partners, the organized private sector and farming communities.”
“Our progress must contribute to Africa’s progress. The innovations we develop, the partnerships we nurture, and the policies we implement must strengthen the collective capacity of our continent to feed itself, create jobs for its youth, protect its natural resources, and compete successfully in the global agricultural economy,” he stated.
He noted that Nigeria Day featured keynote presentations, technology exhibitions, case studies, the Commissioners’ Fireside Chat, and the Youth Innovation Challenge.
“We are placing considerable emphasis on our young innovators. Across Africa, millions of talented young people are developing digital solutions, precision agriculture tools, biotechnology applications and agribusiness enterprises that are redefining what agriculture can become. By giving them visibility, we are investing in the next generation of African scientific leadership.” He said
He also urged delegates to participate actively, saying: “Visit the exhibitions, interact with our researchers and innovators, engage our Commissioners and institutional leaders. Ask questions, share your experiences, and let today’s conversations birth partnerships that will continue long after we leave Abuja.”
“It is in that spirit that Nigeria Day has been conceived, not as a showcase of perfection, but as a platform for dialogue, collaboration and collective progress,” Senator Abdullahi added
The highlight of the event was the recognition of Prof. Chiedozie Ngozi Egesi as one of 40 distinguished innovators recognized as the 2026 Top Agri-food Pioneers (TAP), a cohort announced during the 40th anniversary year of the prestigious World Food Prize Foundation.
The 2026 cohort comprises 40 outstanding individuals from 30 countries across six continents, ranging in age from 16 to 81. The honorees reflect the diversity of talent driving innovation in food and agriculture worldwide and are advancing solutions across the agri-food sector, demonstrating that impactful leadership can emerge from any region and at any stage of life.
Professor Egesi, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Abia State, is widely regarded as one of Africa’s leading agricultural technology pioneers. A renowned cassava breeder, his career has been defined by transformative contributions to crop improvement, biotechnology, and seed systems across the continent.
