On Wednesday, the Federal Government of Nigeria signed a financing agreement for the $158.15 million Value Chain Programme in Northern Nigeria (VCN), marking a significant step towards transforming the country’s agricultural sector.
According to a statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications in the Office of the Vice President, the implementation of the VCN project is set to commence immediately. The programme aims to support the development and value addition of agricultural value chains for farmers in nine northern states.
The project is a collaborative effort, co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the French Development Agency (AFD), and the Nigerian government. The initiative, which is designed to last for eight years, was confirmed on March 21, 2024, and emerged from a request made by Vice President Kashim Shettima during the UNFSS stocktaking event in Rome on July 24, 2023. Shettima had urged IFAD to scale up its activities in Nigeria and bring in additional partners to support the agricultural and food security transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The programme is expected to address several pressing issues, such as poverty reduction, improved nutrition, and enhanced resilience for vulnerable populations in the region. The nine states involved in the project are Borno, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.
At the financing agreement signing ceremony at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Vice President Shettima described the programme as a product of strategic planning aimed at addressing the economic realities of the northern region. He underscored that the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to alleviating poverty, restoring dignity to farmers, and ensuring food security in Nigeria.
“It is a declaration of faith in the North, not as a region of deficits, but as a place of abundance. It also invites us to play our part in fulfilling the promise to reduce poverty, nourish our people, and restore dignity to farming families across Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano, Yobe, and Zamfara,” said Vice President Shettima.
He further noted that the VCN programme would complement the government’s efforts in establishing Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) across the country. These zones aim to transform raw agricultural produce into value-added goods, fostering job creation, industrial growth, and economic stability. “This synergy will shift us from exporting raw produce to exporting value-added goods,” he added.
Senator Shettima also highlighted the importance of self-sufficiency, particularly in light of global trade disruptions and the rise of protectionism. He assured that the federal government would use digital tools to track every phase of the project, ensuring accountability from farmer registration to market access.
Senator Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, described the financing agreement as a major milestone in the government’s ongoing efforts to transform Nigeria’s agricultural landscape. Mrs. Dede Ekoue, the Country Director of IFAD, shared that the programme would target approximately 3.1 million household members and create over 30,000 jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for vulnerable groups, including women and youths. Additionally, the project will focus on constructing more than 229km of roads to improve access to markets.