The scheme is a major government initiative aimed at boosting productivity, strengthening value chains and accelerating the adoption of climate\u2011smart, data\u2011driven farming.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The new financing builds on earlier support provided under the Bank\u2019s African Emergency Food Production Facility and directly contributes to five programmes within the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
These include improving access to quality inputs, strengthening value chains for priority crops, revitalising extension services, promoting digital and climate\u2011smart agriculture and enhancing agricultural data systems.<\/p>\n
A core objective of the funding is to increase national production of staple crops using technologies such as climate\u2011resilient seed varieties and customised fertiliser blends. The project will expand crop insurance coverage to shield farmers from climate-related shocks. Nigeria aims to increase wheat production fivefold and raise rice output by 20%, reducing dependence on imports and strengthening food security.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The programme also seeks to draw more young Nigerians into commercial agriculture by supporting the expansion of cultivated land and improving access to modern farming tools, thereby positioning youth as a key driver of economic opportunity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
AfDB Director General for Nigeria, Abdul Kamara, said the second phase builds on strong results achieved in the first round of the programme. He noted that wider access to inputs, digital tools and climate\u2011smart technologies will help farmers raise productivity and resilience while promoting broader economic inclusion.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Phase one delivered quality seeds, pesticides and fertilisers through an Information and Communication Technology-based distribution system involving more than 600 agro dealers nationwide. It also supported the cultivation of 118 000 hectares of wheat during the 2023 to 2024 dry season, tripling national output to an estimated 0.5 million metric tons by 2024. Around 650 000 smallholder farmers across a range of staple crops have benefited so far.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Despite employing 38% of Nigeria\u2019s labour force and contributing more than a quarter of gross domestic product, agriculture continues to suffer from low productivity caused by limited access to quality inputs, weak land tenure systems, low irrigation levels and climate stress.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The four\u2011year project, beginning in March 2026, aligns with AfDB President Sidi Ould Tah\u2019s Four Cardinal Points strategy, particularly its emphasis on empowering women and young people through technology and financial inclusion.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–AfDB\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15875,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-23775","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a $200 million loan to support the second phase of Nigeria\u2019s National Agricultural Growth Scheme, Agro\u2011Pocket.","published_date":null,"news_description":"The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a $200 million loan to support the second phase of Nigeria\u2019s National Agricultural Growth Scheme, Agro\u2011Pocket.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/23775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/23775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26642,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/23775\/revisions\/26642"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=23775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}