Leo Zwànke, Lafia
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s agricultural sector are advocating for a sustainable public-private partnership (PPP) model to support digital solutions for agricultural extension services.
In a press release signed by Mr. Moses Mongoatse, Communication Officer for the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), the Association announced the launch of a new project titled, *“A Consultative Engagement Exercise for a Product Profile Design for Nigeria’s Public-Private Partnership Digital Extension Delivery System.”*
Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this project aims to create a digital extension service tailored to small-scale farmers in Oyo, Gombe, and Kaduna States, promoting gender equality and climate resilience in crop and livestock production. The project will be executed in partnership with the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), SAA, AGRA, Sahel Consulting, and Africa Practice.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Adeola Lordbanjou, Director of the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension, stressed the need for innovative extension services, citing a shortage of extension agents, with only one agent for every 10,000 households, compared to a previous ratio of one agent per 500 farmers.
“The traditional Training and Visit (T&V) extension approach has become ineffective,” stated Lordbanjou. “This shortage is a major contributor to low productivity in our agricultural sector. In response, Nigeria launched its National Agricultural Extension Policy (NAEP) last year, emphasizing ICT integration to modernize our extension services. Today’s project launch marks a significant step forward.”
Lordbanjou highlighted the importance of private-sector involvement, noting, “The government recognizes the private sector’s essential role, making a PPP model crucial to revamping our agricultural extension system.”
Dr. Simplice Nahdy, Executive Director of AFAAS, noted that the Gates Foundation’s support underscores its commitment to enhancing digital solutions for small-scale producers. He emphasized the need to consolidate existing digital tools to improve service delivery to farmers.
“This project aims to develop a sustainable PPP model that ensures small-scale producers have access to vital resources,” Nahdy explained. “It also seeks to foster collaboration among the public sector, private sector, and nonprofits while assessing the private sector’s capacity to sustain the platform long-term.”
Participants at the workshop included representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural development programs, agro-allied companies, the financial sector, tech firms, NGOs, and farmer organizations. Discussions focused on the strengths, weaknesses, and potential of a PPP model for digital extension services.
Dr. Godwin Atser, Country Director of SAA Nigeria, leading the project’s first phase, urged stakeholders to collaborate. “Sasakawa is laying the groundwork for this comprehensive study,” Atser noted. “We’re working with experts to identify small-scale producers’ needs and the incentives driving private-sector investment in digital extension.”
The project aims to yield insights that will pave the way for scalable digital solutions, enhancing agricultural productivity across Nigeria.
