The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) have signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand farmers’ access to certified seeds and quality planting materials.
In a statement made available to reporters on Friday in Abuja by Anne Ihugba, PIND’s Manager, Knowledge Management and Communications, the organisation said the partnership was designed to expand community-based seed production.
“The partnership will strengthen certification and inspection systems, develop local seed enterprises and mobilise investment in Nigeria’s domestic seed industry.
“The collaboration combines NASC’s regulatory and quality-assurance mandate with PIND’s market systems expertise and its extensive networks of Community Seed Entrepreneurs, Farm Service Providers, Business Service Providers, research institutions and private-sector partners.”
Ihugba quoted the NASC Director-General, Fatuhu Muhammed, as saying that the agreement would bring quality-assurance services closer to farmers and seed producers across the region.
“A productive agricultural sector begins with quality seeds. By working with PIND and its networks across the Niger Delta, NASC can extend certification and inspection services to more communities.
“The partnership will help protect farmers from poor-quality planting materials and create stronger pathways for investment in Nigeria’s seed industry,” Muhammed said.
The Executive Director of PIND, Mr Sam Daibo, said the MoU would help move proven community-level interventions towards institutional adoption and scale.
“Many farmers understand the value of quality seeds but cannot access certified planting materials when and where they need them.
“By combining NASC’s regulatory leadership with PIND’s market systems experience, we can close that gap, strengthen local seed enterprises and help farmers build more productive and commercially viable livelihoods,” he added.
Ihugba further explained that the MoU formalised a collaboration that dates back to 2016 through the Building an Economically Sustainable Seed System for Cassava programme, implemented with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI).
The manager said the collaboration later expanded into community-based cassava seed multiplication, with NASC certifying seed plots across the Niger Delta.
“Under the new framework, NASC will lead certification and quality assurance, while PIND will support enterprise development, technical assistance and market linkages to scale NASC-certified community seed multiplication across the region.
“The partners will also extend NASC’s Licensed Seed Inspectors Scheme into the Niger Delta, drawing potential candidates from PIND’s Farm Service Provider and Business Service Provider networks.
“Other priorities include promoting domestic seed production for high-demand vegetables such as tomato, pepper and cucumber, and expanding access to cassava, banana and yam planting materials produced through NASC’s PROSSIVA programme.”
According to Ihugba, the agreement will support the Mastercard Foundation-funded WISE programme by enabling NASC to certify community seed entrepreneurs trained to supply quality cassava planting materials to women producers across the Niger Delta.
“The partnership’s first major joint deliverable will be the Nigeria Seed Systems Forum 2026 in Abuja, which will bring together policymakers, regulators, researchers, investors, seed companies, development partners and farmers.
“A Joint Technical Working Group comprising representatives of NASC and PIND will coordinate implementation and track progress.”
Ihugba explained that through the partnership, NASC and PIND aimed to connect regulation, research, enterprise development and markets more effectively, thereby bringing certified seeds closer to farmers while building a stronger and more commercially sustainable seed industry.
