FG Receives Final Report On $500m World Bank-Backed AGROW Programme

The Federal Government has received the final report of the National Technical Working Group on the World Bank-supported $500 million Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth (AGROW) Programme, signalling the end of the programme’s design phase and the commencement of implementation.

Vice President Kashim Shettima received the report on Tuesday during a briefing at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he said the initiative would bridge the long-standing gap between farmers and national planning and policymaking.

According to the Vice President, one of the major challenges confronting Nigeria’s agricultural sector has been the disconnect between farmers who produce food and the systems that determine the value of their labour.

He said the AGROW programme is designed to close that gap by placing farmers at the centre of government policies and economic planning.

Describing the report as a milestone, Shettima said it represents “the conclusion of a design process that restores the farmer to the centre of our national economic reasoning, where he has always belonged.”

The $500 million programme, supported by the World Bank, was developed through extensive consultations across the country’s seven geopolitical zones, involving 32 states.

The consultations, according to the Federal Government, demonstrated the growing commitment of state governments to agricultural development and their readiness to take greater responsibility for boosting productivity, expanding infrastructure, strengthening extension services, and improving market access.

With the design phase now completed, the Federal Government is expected to begin implementation of the AGROW programme as part of efforts to transform Nigeria’s agricultural value chains, enhance food security, and drive inclusive economic growth.