No fewer than 2,913 smallholder women farmers have accessed improved agricultural services through ActionAid’s Scaling Up of Public Investments in Agriculture (SUPIA II) project between July 2022 and December 2025.
Mrs Suwaiba Dankabo, Deputy Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the SUPIA II Project Learning Meeting, organized to mark the close-out of the project.
Dankabo said the project, implemented by ActionAid Nigeria and ActionAid International, was designed to strengthen political and budgetary commitments to agriculture in order to scale up public investment in the sector.
According to her, the initiative aimed to promote inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation at state, national and continental levels, with a strong focus on improving productivity, livelihoods and the overall well-being of smallholder women farmers.
She explained that the project achieved its goals through targeted advocacy for increased, inclusive and gender-responsive public investment in agriculture.
Dankabo said SUPIA II was implemented at the national level and in eight focal states—Bauchi, Gombe, Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, Ebonyi, Delta and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)—while also engaging regional and continental platforms to influence broader policy processes.
“This multi-level engagement enabled the project to generate strong evidence, deepen policy dialogue and build strategic partnerships across key institutions and stakeholders.
“Through sustained engagement with government at federal and state levels, civil society organizations and farmer networks, the project recorded remarkable milestones,” she said.
She listed the achievements to include increased agricultural budgets at national and state levels, the introduction of new budget lines to strengthen food and nutrition security, and improved access to agricultural services for 2,913 smallholder women farmers.
According to her, these outcomes have contributed to enhanced productivity and improved livelihoods for beneficiaries.
Dankabo commended government officials, donor partners and civil society organizations for their commitment to strengthening public investment in agriculture and advancing inclusive and sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria and across Africa.
She noted that the meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned, share best practices and identify pathways for sustaining and scaling the gains recorded under the SUPIA II project.
“It is also a moment to reaffirm our collective responsibility to ensure that public investments deliver tangible and equitable benefits, especially for women, young people and persons with disabilities,” she said.
Also speaking, Ms Constance Okoke, International Projects Manager at ActionAid International, said the project helped farmers across Africa better understand agricultural policies and public investment processes.
Okoke said the initiative strengthened advocacy for public financing of agriculture and built the capacity of women farmers to engage government and non-state actors in budget formulation and implementation.
She added that the project amplified women’s voices across the continent, helping them to see agriculture not only as subsistence, but as a viable business and livelihood.
“The project empowered women to hold governments accountable to their commitments on agricultural investment and the right to food,” she said.
In his remarks, Mr Azubike Nwokoye, Food Systems Specialist at ActionAid Nigeria, said sustaining the project’s impact would require increased public investment in agriculture and improved quality of budget releases.
He stressed the need for continued engagement with women farmers, young people and other stakeholders to ensure increased allocations and effective utilisation of agricultural funds.
Meanwhile, Mrs Comfort Sunday, FCT Coordinator of the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria (SWOFON), said the project enabled women farmers to actively participate in government policies and programmes.
Sunday said her involvement in the project improved her farming skills, enabled her to cultivate diverse crops and enhanced her family’s livelihood.
