The Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth (AGROW) Project has called for stronger stakeholder collaboration to boost agricultural productivity and improve farmers’ access to markets.
The project’s National Coordinator, Alhaji Ibrahim Alkhali, made the call on Monday at the opening of the first Implementation Support Mission in Minna.
The event also featured a stakeholder consultation on the draft Project Implementation Manual (PIM) and the Agribusiness De-risking and Market Linkage Facility (ADMLF) Operations Manual.
Alkhali said the consultation was critical to developing practical guidelines that would ensure the project delivered meaningful benefits to farmers, agribusiness operators, women and young entrepreneurs across participating states.
He explained that the PIM would outline operational procedures, institutional responsibilities, resource management and monitoring mechanisms for effective project implementation.
The ADMLF Operations Manual, he added, would guide support for eligible investments and strengthen commercial relationships across agricultural value chains.
Alkhali stressed the need for clear, accessible procedures, particularly for application requirements, assessment and approval processes, matching contributions and complaint resolution.
He urged farmers, cooperative representatives, private-sector operators and government institutions to review the draft manuals carefully and identify gaps, unclear provisions and potential implementation challenges.
According to him, farmers’ and agribusiness operators’ experiences are essential to ensuring the proposed procedures reflect realities in the agricultural sector.
Alkhali also emphasised the need to ensure women and young people have access to information, technical support and economic opportunities.
He highlighted the importance of transparency, fairness and accountability, saying applicants must be assessed against clear criteria and conflicts of interest properly managed.
Environmental and social safeguards, he said, must be built into the project to ensure agricultural investments support sustainable livelihoods while protecting communities, land and the environment.
Alkhali commended the World Bank team, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Niger Government and other stakeholders for contributing to the project documents.
Also speaking, World Bank Task Team Lead Mr Hardwick Charlie said the project was designed to increase agricultural productivity and strengthen market links between farmers and off-takers.
He said the initiative would help targeted farmers move from subsistence farming to treating agriculture as a viable business that could generate income and provide decent employment.
Charlie added that the project would support the development of high-yielding crop varieties to help farmers increase production and earnings.
In his remarks, Niger’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Isah Sidi-Rijau, commended the Federal Government and the World Bank for supporting agricultural development initiatives in the state.
Similarly, Mr Emmanuel Akogun, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, said the workshop aimed to strengthen agricultural value chains and help farmers, processors and agribusinesses expand their operations.
He said the initiative would also create jobs and enhance food security.
The first Implementation Support Mission was scheduled to run from Nov. 2 to Nov. 13.
