Economy
FG Designs Online Portal to Monitor Agric Interventions to Farmers
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An online portal aimed to ensure efficient and effective monitoring of federal government intervention in the agricultural sector has been designed by the federal government.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Muhammad Sabo Nanono, disclosed that the initiative will capture the biodata of about 10 million farmers and link it with geographical information of their farmed plots, crops and the volumes of production in the country.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 44th council meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development (NCARD) held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on Thursday, June 17, 2021, the Minister said the portal was initially designed to “capture the data of 2.4 million farmers across the country, the results from the exercise have encouraged the Economic Sustainability Plan team to expand the data capture to 10 million farmers.”
He stated that the database will be “a platform for the federal government interventions going forward, putting an end to ghost schemes and other unscrupulous practices in the agricultural industry.”
Mr Nanono noted that “a major hallmark of our agricultural interventions is inclusiveness. We have catered for the youths, women, and many demographic considerations in our implementation strategies.”
The Minister explained that “as a stop-gap intervention, we launched the Agric for Food and Jobs Program, originally conceived as an input loan for smallholder farmers across several commodities including maize, rice, cotton, groundnut, sorghum, cowpea, soybean, sesame, cassava and oil palm.”
“The scheme brought into a partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Commodity Association and Agricultural Platform Companies for effective facilitation.
“This we believe will not only improve production significantly but also aid in the off–taking of produce while providing input at a reduced price due to economy of scale,” he said.
Mr Nanono noted that “the challenges brought by the emergence of the COVID–19 pandemic, floods and insecurity has galvanised the government into setting up a necessary structure to address the infrastructural deficiency, technology gaps, security challenges, and extension inadequacy.”
“This approach is believed to be the right one for achieving our desired economic diversification and national development,” the Minister added.
He noted that the NCARD would promote the existing policies, programmes, and projects at the national and sub-national levels for the purpose of entrenching synergy, best practices, entrepreneurship, livelihood, and growth in the sector.
Mr Nanono reemphasised that “agricultural productivity can only improve through the mechanization of production activities. In our effort to improve the agricultural production profile of the country, we have entered into a partnership with the government of Brazil through one of their foremost technology transfer, the Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV).”
He further said that “this partnership has yielded an agricultural mechanisation loan to the tune of €995 million. This shall be granted to Nigerian entrepreneurs to establish service centres across all the 774 Local Government of the country, selling services to all categories of farmers and thereby helping to improve their productivity.”
“The services centres shall be either a Type 1, supporting production activities or Type 2, supporting processing and packaging activities,” he explained.
The Minister informed that “the ministry in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has been working to exploit a strategic advantage in the production of commodities like sesame, hibiscus, cotton and sorghum to improve production protocols to conform with internationally acceptable standards, maintenance of an exporters’ directory and exporter certificate verification portal.”
He stressed that “the ministry has embarked on increasing the number of available extension workers in the different aspects of our operations. This year, about 1,200 extension workers have been trained.”
The Minister highlighted that “with the green imperative project launching soon, there is a component of it that will see the training of extension workers in agricultural mechanisation and other important aspects of crop and livestock operations.”
He pointed out that “the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), has been adjudged worldwide to be a well-conceived project which seeks to transform our livestock sector from the nomadic – dependent sector into an organised ranching one.”
“To this end, 22 states and Federal Capital Territory have registered with the NLTP Office. Seven of these 10 states have also earmarked about 19 grazing reserves for the implementation of the NLTP, with a total land size of approximately 400,000 hectares,” he said.
According to him, it is, therefore, safe to say, that NLTP, when fully implemented, will bring an end to the incessant clashes between the farmers and herdsmen at the same time introduce the herders to the modern way of raising cattle, with all added benefits of improved feeding, animal and human, genetic improvement, value addition and better socio-economic standing for all participants.
In his remarks, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mr Mohammed Musa Bello, represented by the Special Assistant, Prof. Mohammed Usman, said that the theme of this year’s council meeting Agriculture and Food Security in the face of COVID-19, Floods and Insecurity is apt enough and a reminder to the effect that we are yet to win the fight on the pandemic.
He added there is a need for robust interaction and ideas among stakeholders on how to reposition the Agricultural sector.
In his welcome address, the Minister of State, Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Mustapha Baba Shehuri, said that “Nigeria economy had its GDP contracted for two consecutive terms of the second and third quarter in 2020; leading to recession.
“It was in the fourth quarter of 2020 that the economy returned to positive growth with GDP expanding to 0.1 per cent from the contraction of 3.6 per cent (negative growth) experienced in the third quarter. The feat was achieved through the contribution mainly attributed to the performance of the agricultural sector.”
Mr Shehuri observed that “as a matter of fact, local production of maize, rice, cassava, potatoes, yam, and other staples steadily increased, it is also the same story in livestock, fisheries and dairy sector. The fact that we did not import food during the lockdown era was a testimony that we can grow what we eat and eat what we produce.”
In his goodwill message, the Chairman, House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Mr Muntari Mohammed Dandutse, stated the National Assembly would fast-track the bills being raised as an outcome or resolution of the NCARD towards achieving food security and job creation.
While giving a vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Ernest Umakhihe, thanked the stakeholders for their commitment and technical support during the 44th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The United Kingdom via the British High Commission in Abuja has launched two flagship economic reform programmes – the Nigeria Economic Stability & Transformation (NEST) programme and the Nigeria Public Finance Facility (NPFF) -as part of efforts to support Nigeria’s economic reform and growth agenda.
Backed by a £12.4 million UK investment, NEST and NPFF sit at the centre of the UK-Nigeria mutual growth partnership and support Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen macroeconomic stability, improve fiscal resilience, and create a more competitive environment for investment and private-sector growth.
Speaking at the launch, Cynthia Rowe, Head of Development Cooperation at the British High Commission in Abuja, said, “These two programmes sit at the heart of our economic development cooperation with Nigeria. They reflect a shared commitment to strengthening the fundamentals that matter most for our stability, confidence, and long-term growth.”
The launch followed the inaugural meeting of the Joint UK-Nigeria Steering Committee, which endorsed the approach of both programmes and confirmed strong alignment between the UK and Nigeria on priority areas for delivery.
Representing the Government of Nigeria, Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Finance and the Economy, Mrs Sanyade Okoli, welcomed the collaboration, touting it as crucial to current, critical reforms.
“We welcome the United Kingdom’s support through these new programmes as a strong demonstration of our shared commitment to Nigeria’s economic stability and long-term prosperity. At a time when we are implementing critical reforms to strengthen fiscal resilience, improve macroeconomic stability, and unlock inclusive growth, this partnership will provide valuable technical support. Together, we are laying the foundation for a more resilient economy that delivers sustainable development and improved livelihoods for all Nigerians.”
On his part, Mr Jonny Baxter, British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, highlighted the significance of the programmes within the wider UK-Nigeria mutual growth partnership.
“NEST and NPFF are central to our shared approach to strengthening the foundations that underpin long-term economic prosperity. They sit firmly within the UK-Nigeria mutual growth partnership.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the growth, digital capacity, and sustainability of Nigeria’s 40 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has been signed by MTN Nigeria and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
The collaboration will feature joint initiatives focused on digital inclusion, financial access, capacity building, and providing verified information for MSMEs.
With millions of small businesses depending on accurate guidance and easy-to-access support, MTN and SMEDAN say their shared platform will address gaps in communication, misinformation, and access to opportunities.
At the formal signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday, November 27, 2025, in Lagos, the stage was set for the immediate roll-out of tools, content, and resources that will support MSMEs nationwide.
The chief operating officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr Ayham Moussa, reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s economic development, stating that MSMEs are the lifeline of Nigeria’s economy.
“SMEs are the backbone of the economy and the backbone of employment in Nigeria. We are delighted to power SMEDAN’s platform and provide tools that help MSMEs reach customers, obtain funding, and access wider markets. This collaboration serves both our business and social development objectives,” he stated.
Also, the Chief Enterprise Business Officer of MTN Nigeria, Ms Lynda Saint-Nwafor, described the MoU as a tool to “meet SMEs at the point of their needs,” noting that nano, micro, small, and medium businesses each require different resources to scale.
“Some SMEs need guidance, some need resources; others need opportunities or workforce support. This platform allows them to access whatever they need. We are committed to identifying opportunities across financial inclusion, digital inclusion, and capacity building that help SMEs to scale,” she noted.
Also commenting, the Director General of SMEDAN, Mr Charles Odii, emphasised the significance of the collaboration, noting that the agency cannot meet its mandate without leveraging technology and private-sector expertise.
“We have approximately 40 million MSMEs in Nigeria, and only about 400 SMEDAN staff. We cannot fulfil our mandate without technology, data, and strong partners.
“MTN already has the infrastructure and tools to support MSMEs from payments to identity, hosting, learning, and more. With this partnership, we are confident we can achieve in a short time what would have taken years,” he disclosed.
Mr Odii highlighted that the SMEDAN-MTN collaboration would support businesses across their growth needs, guided by their four-point GROW model – Guidance, Resources, Opportunities, and Workforce Development.
He added that SMEDAN has already created over 100,000 jobs within its two-year administration and expects the partnership to significantly boost job creation, business expansion, and nationwide enterprise modernisation.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited is seeking review of the controversial Capital Gains Tax increase, fearing it will chase away foreign investors from the country’s capital market.
Nigeria’s new tax regime, which takes effect from January 1, 2026, represents one of the most significant changes to Nigeria’s tax system in recent years.
Under the new rules, the flat 10 per cent Capital Gains Tax rate has been replaced by progressive income tax rates ranging from zero to 30 per cent, depending on an investor’s overall income or profit level while large corporate investors will see the top rate reduced to 25 per cent as part of a wider corporate tax reform.
The chief executive of NGX, Mr Jude Chiemeka, said in a Bloomberg interview in Kigali, Rwanda that there should be a “removal of the capital gains tax completely, or perhaps deferring it for five years.”
According to him, Nigeria, having a higher Capital Gains Tax, will make investors redirect asset allocation to frontier markets and “countries that have less tax.”
“From a capital flow perspective, we should be concerned because all these international portfolio managers that invest across frontier markets will certainly go to where the cost of investing is not so burdensome,” the CEO said, as per Bloomberg. “That is really the angle one will look at it from.”
Meanwhile, the policy has been defended by the chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, who noted that the new tax will make investing in the capital market more attractive by reducing risks, promoting fairness, and simplifying compliance.
He noted that the framework allows investors to deduct legitimate costs such as brokerage fees, regulatory charges, realised capital losses, margin interest, and foreign exchange losses directly tied to investments, thereby ensuring that they are not taxed when operating at a loss.
Mr Oyedele also said the reforms introduced a more inclusive approach to taxation by exempting several categories of investors and transactions.
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