An MoU to provide agricultural support and opportunities for three million women through the Women Agro-Value Expansion (WAVE) Programme has been signed between the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).

Expanded women’s access to finance, mechanisation and opportunities across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain is what the deal aims to achieve.

The Minister, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, while speaking at the signing ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday, said the initiative aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security and women’s economic empowerment.

She acknowledged women’s vital roles in agriculture but lacked adequate access to finance and resources needed to expand their businesses.

“This MoU with the Bank of Agriculture fills the critical financing gap confronting women in agriculture.

“Women are already farming, but many cannot scale because they lack access to finance and support.

“Access to finance will move women beyond smallholder farming into agro-entrepreneurship, creating agro-billionaires,” she said.

The minister hoped the WAVE Programme would enable women to participate across the agricultural value chain, including mechanised farming, input supply, processing and other agribusiness opportunities.

According to her, the programme will also provide education, digital tools and other support systems to improve women’s productivity and business success.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim said about 33,000 women had already indicated interest, while the Federal Government was targeting three million beneficiaries in the coming years.

She urged women across the country to embrace the initiative, saying their economic empowerment would strengthen families, communities and national development.

“Women are the solution. We must attract more women into agriculture and create opportunities that amplify the gains of this partnership,” she said.

Earlier, Managing Director of BOA, Mr Ayo Sotinrin, said the bank was committed to expanding agricultural financing for women, who accounted for a significant proportion of its reliable loan beneficiaries.

He said the bank would support women through input financing, mechanisation and other interventions designed to improve productivity and incomes.

Sotinrin said farmers would access improved seeds and other inputs at subsidised interest rates to boost yields.

“Instead of one tonne per hectare, farmers can harvest up to five tonnes through improved seeds and better support. Raising productivity remains Nigeria’s most pressing agricultural priority,” he said.

He added that women would also access tractors at subsidised rates, with repayment spread over three to five years.

“A woman can acquire a tractor, provide services to farmers and repay gradually until she owns it outright.

“This strengthens the business case for women in mechanisation,” he said.

Sotinrin said BOA would work with farmer aggregation companies and cooperatives to improve access to loans, ensure repayment and expand agricultural financing.

He expressed optimism that the programme would attract greater support from development partners and relevant government institutions.

Earlier, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Esuabana Nko Asanye, said the MoU would help move women from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.

She said the partnership would provide access to mechanisation, input financing, improved seeds, demonstration farms and agricultural knowledge.

She added that beneficiaries would also become tractor owners, operators, seed producers, input suppliers and agribusiness managers.

“The programme begins modestly but progressively empowers women to become financially independent,” she said.

Asanye said the initiative would improve wo

The Federal Government has announced that at least 22,000 farmers across the country will benefit from interest-free loans under the FarmerMoni Dry and Wet Season Programme.

The initiative, implemented through the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), was unveiled during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope GEEP 3.0 and the FarmerMoni Technical Working Group in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, the National Programme Manager of the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) under NSIPA, Mr. Hamza Baba, said the loans would be interest-free and collateral-free, aimed at boosting agricultural productivity nationwide.

According to Baba, the application portal has been opened for eligible farmers to register. Each beneficiary will receive up to N300,000, depending on the economic value of specific farming activities.

He stated that the programme targets vulnerable and low-income farmers at the grassroots.

To qualify, applicants must be Nigerian citizens aged 18 and above, actively engaged in farming, and either own or lease farmland.

They must also have a bank account, National Identification Number (NIN), municipal identification, and be registered members of a farming cooperative or association within their local government area.

Baba said the programme will cover all 774 local government areas, with an average of 28 farmers expected to benefit from each council in the current phase. He noted that state programme managers, enumerators, partner banks, FinTech recovery agents, agricultural development projects, and farmer associations would collaborate to ensure effective implementation across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, said the launch of Renewed Hope GEEP 3.0 and FarmerMoni underscores the administration’s commitment to strengthening agricultural development and expanding economic opportunities.

He stated that the programmes align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises inclusion, resilience, and shared prosperity. According to him, FarmerMoni is designed to support farmers during both planting seasons, reduce seasonal risks, improve yields, and enhance national food security.

Doro added that investing in agriculture remains critical to poverty reduction and rural development, noting that the initiative seeks to empower farmers through sustainable financial support.

Niger State Governor Umar Bago has donated 100,000 hectares of land to Lagos State for agricultural development to boost food production in Nigeria’s most populated but smallest state by landmass.

Bago announced the donation at the FirstBank Nigeria-sponsored Agric & Export Expo 2025 in Lagos on Thursday. He said Niger would serve as the production hub, while Lagos would handle consumption and logistics.

The governor disclosed that the proposed “Lagos Farm” project would be spread across several locations in Niger to cultivate yams, beans, and livestock for Lagos markets, while also targeting export opportunities in the Middle East.

“The annual Hajj requires about five million sheep, each costing 500 riyals, representing a 2.5 billion riyal market in one transaction,” Bago said, stressing the need for value addition across the livestock chain.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, represented by his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Alkali, outlined the Federal Government’s renewed push for agricultural growth, calling for improved infrastructure, certification, and a zero-reject policy for exports. He noted that while Nigeria earns about $700 million annually from raw cocoa exports, processing could multiply the value up to fivefold.

Kyari also highlighted the role of young people in driving innovation, pointing to $640 million in investment attracted by African youth-led agri-tech startups between 2020 and 2022.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urged private sector collaboration to diversify the economy beyond oil, citing recent data from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) showing a 19.59 per cent rise in non-oil exports in the first half of 2025.

He said Lagos, as the country’s commercial hub, has a special responsibility in the transformation agenda, noting key projects supported by a $1.35 billion partnership with Afreximbank and Access Bank, as well as the launch of a N500 billion Offtake Guarantee Fund for food security.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, represented by NEPC CEO Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, reiterated government support for exporters through certification programmes, while FirstBank Managing Director, Olusegun Alebiosu, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to financing agribusiness and non-oil exports.

The FirstBank 2025 Agric & Export Expo, themed “The Fundamentals of Building an Export-Driven Economy”, ended with calls for actionable strategies to transform Nigeria into an export-driven economy.