The federal government has committed N200 billion to agricultural interventions and recapitalised the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) with N1.5 trillion to empower farmers across the country.
Abubakar Kyari, minister of agriculture and food security, spoke on Friday while receiving Demba Sabally, Gambian minister of agriculture, during a courtesy visit to the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Kyari said the government also distributed 2.15 million bags of fertiliser to farmers as part of its support efforts.
According to him, the engagement included bilateral talks, technical briefings and a tour of Nigeria’s national mechanisation fleet at the National Agricultural Seed Council in Sheda, Abuja.
Speaking at the event, Sabally praised Nigeria’s agricultural progress and called for deeper ties, particularly in rice production and mechanisation.
“We have seen the Nigerian model in action — from the outgrower schemes to post-harvest management,” the Gambian minister said.
“Our goal of achieving rice self-sufficiency by 2030 is now more realistic than ever. We request a Rice Ambassador from Nigeria to support our implementation.”
Nyangado Alhagie, The Gambia’s permanent secretary of agriculture, described the visit as “transformational,” saying Nigeria’s support can help The Gambia adopt similar agricultural systems.
Responding, Kyari reaffirmed Nigeria’s role in regional food systems transformation and cited President Bola Tinubu’s food security emergency declaration of July 2023 as a turning point.
He said Nigeria is ready to collaborate with The Gambia and other ECOWAS countries through joint technical missions and memoranda of understanding.
Kyari added that Nigeria’s agricultural focus is on sustainable mechanisation, youth inclusion, food sovereignty and research-driven policy, with a national registry targeting 42 million farming households.
Also speaking, Aliyu Abdullahi, minister of state for agriculture and food security, described the visit as a sign of African solidarity and said Nigeria’s growing rice production could serve as a model for other countries.
