No fewer than 600 farmers across Niger State are set to benefit from interest-free loans under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (RH-GEEP 3.0).
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by Bologi Ibrahim, Chief Press Secretary to the Niger State Governor.
The beneficiaries, to be drawn from all 25 local government areas of the state, will access the loans through the FarmerMoni scheme, one of the three components of the federal social intervention programme.
The initiative, introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, seeks to empower about five million smallholder farmers, artisans, market women and petty traders across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas by 2027.
As part of preparations for the programme’s implementation in Niger State, the State Social Investment Programmes Office, in collaboration with the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), has commenced the FarmerMoni enumeration and capacity-building exercise for GEEP desk officers from the 25 local government areas.
The training is designed to equip the officers with the skills required to identify, register and verify genuine farmers through digital enumeration, including the collection of personal information and geographical details of their farms.
The Special Adviser to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago on Social Investment Programmes and State Focal Person for the National Social Investment Programme, Hauwa Bako Mohammed, said the state government had put necessary measures in place to ensure the successful implementation of the scheme.
She described the capacity-building exercise as critical to generating accurate farmers’ data and ensuring that the intervention reaches genuine and deserving beneficiaries across the state.
Mohammed said the initiative would further complement the Bago administration’s agricultural development agenda and efforts to position Niger State as a leading food production hub in Nigeria.
Agriculture remains a major pillar of the governor’s New Niger Agenda, with the state government pursuing initiatives aimed at expanding food production, empowering farmers and strengthening agricultural productivity.
