NADF Skills Drive Key To Sustainable Mechanisation – Minister

Minister of agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari, has identified skilled manpower as a critical pillar of the federal government’s agricultural mechanisation drive, commending the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) for investing in the training of tractor operators and mechanics.

Kyari said the sustainability of Nigeria’s mechanisation programme would depend not only on the number of tractors deployed to farms, but also on the availability of competent personnel to operate, maintain and manage the machinery effectively.

Speaking at a side event of the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Kigali, Rwanda, attended by the executive secretary of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, the minister said the fund was complementing the federal government’s mechanisation efforts through the training of 4,000 tractor operators and mechanics

The event, organised by Heifer International and the Mastercard Foundation, brought together stakeholders to examine sustainable agricultural mechanisation and strategies for building resilient food systems across Africa.

The federal government’s mechanisation programme launched in 2025 provides for the deployment of 2,000 tractors and more than 9,000 agricultural implements and spare parts through a service-provider model intended to widen farmers’ access to mechanisation while promoting efficient utilisation, maintenance and proper asset management.

The minister said the approach was designed to ensure that mechanisation becomes a sustainable agricultural service rather than a one-off exercise in equipment procurement.

“Our shared objective is not simply to put more tractors in the field, but to build a sustainable system of finance, utilisation, maintenance, skills and accountability around them,” Kyari said.

He stressed that the long-term success of the programme would require an integrated framework covering access to finance, efficient utilisation of machinery, maintenance systems, competent operators and effective accountability.

Kyari also linked mechanisation to the federal government’s efforts to increase food production and strengthen the resilience of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

He called for increased private-sector participation and stronger partnerships across the agricultural value chain, arguing that government’s role should include creating an enabling environment for investment in production, processing, technology, logistics and markets.

According to the minister, Nigeria’s growing population should be seen not merely as a food-security challenge but also as an economic opportunity, given the country’s youthful workforce, expanding domestic market and significant agricultural potential.

He said harnessing these opportunities would require greater coordination among public investment, private capital, technology, infrastructure and human capacity.

Kyari maintained that a resilient and competitive food system could only be achieved through an integrated approach that connects the critical resources and services required to raise agricultural productivity and withstand economic and environmental shocks.