The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has emphasized the transformative potential of digitizing agricultural processes for smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
Speaking at a Policy Dialogue session in collaboration with the Office of the Presidency, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at the Barcelona Hotel, Abuja, Inuwa made a strong case for the digitization of the agricultural sector, projecting a potential $67 billion increase in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to uplifting Nigeria through digital transformation, innovation, and economic growth.”
Inuwa’s statement highlighted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to Nigeria’s economic development through digital innovation.
“To achieve this, the President has mandated our Ministry, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy to accelerate the Nigerian economic diversification by enhancing productivity in critical sectors through technological innovation.”
Inuwa outlined the presidential mandate to drive economic diversification through the acceleration of technological innovation, placing a specific focus on critical sectors like agriculture.
“Nigeria, in terms of land size, is almost 22 times larger than the Netherlands but in terms of production, Netherlands is the second-largest agricultural producer in the world because of its use of technology.”
Underlining the impact of technology on agricultural productivity, Inuwa compared Nigeria’s land size to the Netherlands, emphasizing the need for increased technology adoption in Nigerian agriculture.
“I believe that with this kind of partnership, we can scale up that platform and make agri-business a fancy business for our youth to be part of it.”
Inuwa expressed optimism about scaling up initiatives, making agri-business an attractive venture for the youth through effective partnerships.
Mrs. Dede Ekoue, the Country Director of IFAD, extended gratitude to NITDA for its commitment to enhancing digital solutions for farmers.
“We invite all stakeholders from the public sector, the private sector, civil society, farmer organizations, and development partners, to discuss the best approaches to strengthen our partnership and our digital solution. We are confident that together we can do more, we can do better, and we can do faster to increase access to smallholder farmers’ digital solutions.”
Ekoue urged collaboration among stakeholders for the effective implementation and scaling up of digital solutions for smallholder farmers.
Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, the Special Senior Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, commended the DG NITDA for active participation in policy developments.
“Increased collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security, and NITDA is necessary to implement a national digital dialogue strategy to further leverage technology for advancements from the agricultural sector.”
