The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) on Thursday graduated 250 mechanisation service providers under the National Agricultural Mechanisation Service Providers (NAMSP) Training Programme.
The graduates are the first cohort trained under the programme, which targets 4,000 participants nationwide to strengthen technical capacity and improve agricultural machinery deployment.
The 10-day training, organised by NADF in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and other partners, focused on machinery operation, maintenance, safety and enterprise development.
Speaking at the ceremony in Nasarawa, NADF Executive Secretary, Mohammed Ibrahim, said the graduation marked an important milestone in the Federal Government’s efforts to modernise agriculture through mechanisation, innovation and human capital development.
Ibrahim, represented by Ernest Ihedigbo, NADF General Manager, Technical, said the programme was designed to build the skills, systems and maintenance culture needed to sustain agricultural productivity and strengthen food and nutrition security.
He said the NAMSP training was part of NADF’s broader interventions to address constraints across agricultural value chains, alongside its Farm Input Support Programme, which had supported 109,000 smallholder farmers.
Ibrahim added that NADF was strengthening agricultural research institutions through investments in modern laboratories, digital extension infrastructure, biotechnology facilities, renewable energy systems, irrigation infrastructure and innovation.
According to him, participants drawn from the six geopolitical zones received intensive training in machinery and equipment management, occupational safety, enterprise development, sustainable maintenance and environmental conservation.
“Beyond technical skills, the programme has strengthened professionalism, enterprise mindset and operational discipline required to sustain an efficient mechanisation ecosystem,” he said.
Ibrahim said the pilot cohort comprised about 250 trainees, whose certification by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) would qualify them for inclusion in a national database of proficient mechanisation service providers being developed by NADF.
He said the database would support long-term public and private-sector investments in agricultural machinery and potentially enable certified service providers to manage multimillion-naira agricultural assets.
“The graduates represent a new generation of skilled practitioners capable of improving machinery utilisation, reducing downtime, expanding access to mechanisation and protecting public and private investments in agricultural assets,” he said.
Ibrahim said sustainable mechanisation should not be measured by the number of tractors and other machines acquired but by the ability to keep them operational, productive and economically viable.
He noted that previous investments in agricultural mechanisation had failed to deliver their full value because of inadequate technical capacity, maintenance systems and accountability.
“The future of agricultural mechanisation in Nigeria depends not only on acquiring machines, but on sustaining them through technical competence, accountability, and responsible asset and environmental stewardship,” he said.
He urged mechanisation associations and State Agricultural Development Projects to prioritise the recruitment and training of young people and women, especially amid rural-urban migration and an ageing farming population.
The Executive Secretary urged the graduates to become ambassadors of professionalism, accountability and sustainability in Nigeria’s agricultural mechanisation ecosystem.
“Let your work increase productivity, expand access to mechanisation, preserve national investments, and accelerate Nigeria’s agricultural prosperity,” he said.
Ibrahim commended Sen. Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, for his leadership in advancing reforms and partnerships to strengthen agricultural value chains and improve farmers’ livelihoods.
Abdullahi Mohammed, National President of the Tractor Owners and Hiring Facilities Association of Nigeria (TOHFAN), commended NADF for organising the training.
Mohammed said tractor operators, mechanics and service providers required continuous training to ensure that machinery deployed to farms remained productive and sustainable.
“We need more of this training. The service provider wants training, the operator and the mechanic also need this type of training,” he said.
He added that the training had also helped unite tractor operators from different organisations and parts of the country under a common platform.
Hayatu Tambuwal, Director of Training at ITF, said the agency’s role was to evaluate the programme and provide certification.
Tambuwal urged NADF to sustain its partnership with ITF and expand the training to other parts of the country, stressing that such programmes required adequate funding and resources.
Sewuese Akuhwa, a representative of Women in Mechanised Agriculture (WIMA) and a beneficiary, said the training provided practical knowledge and hands-on skills in tractor operation, safety, maintenance, servicing, basic troubleshooting and agricultural implements.
Akuhwa said the training had boosted the confidence of women participating in mechanised agriculture and demonstrated that they could play significant roles in agricultural mechanisation and service provision.
“We are here to take these skills back to our communities and contribute to increased agricultural productivity, food security, employment and economic empowerment,” she said.
