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Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has highlighted the transformative potential of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain in addressing challenges faced by Nigeria’s farmers. He noted that these technologies could revolutionize agricultural practices and improve food security.
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Abdullahi made these remarks in Abuja at the launch of the Survey on the Digitization of Supply-Chain in Small-Scale Nigerian Farms Project. This initiative was organized by AGROVESTO, an agritech startup and beneficiary of the iHatch Incubation Programme Cohort 2, in conjunction with NITDA, the Office for Nigeria Digital Innovation (ONDI), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS).
The project’s goal is to enable smallholder farmers in Nigeria to thrive, increase their income, and expand their market opportunities, thereby creating wealth and prosperity for the country through agriculture. Abdullahi, represented by Salisu Kaka, Director of the Digital Economy Department, noted that agriculture employs a significant number of Nigerians and contributed 25.18% of Nigeria’s GDP in 2023, with crop production taking the largest share. He emphasized that digitizing the supply chain for small-scale farms offers a transformative solution to the challenges of food security in the country.
He explained that small-scale farmers are the backbone of crop production in Nigeria but face numerous challenges, including limited access to technology, high production costs, limited financing, high post-harvest losses, poor market access, labor shortages, and high labor costs. These issues hinder their productivity and economic potential. Abdullahi affirmed that supply chain optimization will ensure that small-scale farmers can meet increasing consumer demands, enhance food quality and safety, and promote sustainable practices.
“This can be achieved through the adoption of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), which can handle time-demanding tasks using machine learning and predictive modeling; the Internet of Things (IoT), which can monitor crops and generate real-time data to inform automation and best practices; and blockchain, which can provide end-to-end traceability in supply chains with shareable data, building consumer trust and even making it easier to isolate and manage disease outbreaks in crops,” said Abdullahi.
He added that NITDA has been actively supporting the growth of Nigeria’s agricultural sector. One key initiative is the National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA), which has engaged 965 farmers in integrating technology into agriculture.
“Our Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan, 2024 – 2027 (SRAP 2.0), also highlights our focus on promoting technology in agriculture to boost food security, increase the sector’s GDP contribution, drive economic diversification, and create jobs, aligning with the priorities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he added.
Citing a successful use case of a digitized agricultural sector, Abdullahi noted that agriculture contributes 33% to Kenya’s GDP. He revealed that JICA, through its Small Horticulture Empowerment & Promotion (SHEP) Approach, doubled the income of 2,500 small-scale farmers between 2007 and 2009 alone.
During his presentation, AGROVESTO Co-founder and CEO Bayo Adewoye mentioned that 63.5% of these farmers earn between 20,000 and 100,000 naira monthly during the sales season, while 63% take their products to the open market to sell. He added that the project aims to address these challenges and the expected outcomes include improved farmer income by connecting farmers to wider markets through digital tools, increasing their bargaining power and sales, and boosting their incomes.
Furthermore, digitizing agricultural value chains can reduce post-harvest losses and improve the flow of goods, benefiting farmers and markets. The initiative also enhances digital literacy, empowering farmers with digital skills to leverage technology for accessing information and expanding their market reach.
The next steps include rolling out the digitization of market access, designing and integrating a tailored digital platform for market access, onboarding cooperatives and SHEP graduates to the platform, and conducting monitoring and evaluation activities, including review meetings with JICA and ONDI, webinars, and knowledge sharing.
