The Federal Government is rolling out AGRI360, a fresh three-year plan aimed at equipping 5,000 Nigerian women and young people with the skills needed for modern farming. Think operating heavy machinery, using digital tools in agriculture, keeping equipment in shape, and even running your own agribusiness. The initiative officially kicked off at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja on Wednesday during a national colloquium focused on the role of women and youth in advancing agricultural mechanisation.
Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady, who was represented by Hajiya Nana Shettima, the wife of the Vice President, threw her weight behind the project. She called it a smart move to build a 'mechanisation-as-a-service' economy. The idea is to give these participants the know-how and the tools to truly get involved in today's agriculture and grab hold of new chances popping up in the sector. She pointed out that bringing in machines would not only boost how much food we can grow but also lighten the heavy manual work that farmers often face, making agriculture a more appealing career choice for young Nigerians.
And it's true, young Nigerians are already shaking things up in agriculture, using things like precision farming, artificial intelligence, and drones. The First Lady also highlighted the importance of giving women a bigger role. When women gain the skills and resources to make money and grow their businesses, it's not just them who benefit – their families and communities win too.
Speaking at the same event, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, set a clear vision. He stated that the future of farming in Nigeria can't just be about breaking our backs with hoes. It has to be about technology, smart business, and creating real opportunities. He made a strong point: a farmer with a hoe simply can't keep up with someone using modern machinery.
The goal is to change the narrative for young people, so they see agriculture not just as back-breaking labour but as a field ripe with potential.
Kyari explained that mechanisation means farmers can get done in hours what used to take days. This frees up valuable time, allowing knowledge, skill, and clever business sense to become more important than just raw human effort. The government's big picture aim is to create a system where farmers can get the right equipment, at the right time, and without breaking the bank. This also presents a huge employment opportunity, he added. Every piece of machinery put to good use creates a demand for trained operators, technicians, maintenance crews, and businesses that can manage and repair equipment.
The AGRI360 initiative, according to the Minister, is the bridge to this ambition, connecting the skills needed with actual businesses, technology with farmers, and mechanisation with economic growth. This program doesn't stand alone; it complements the National Agricultural Mechanization Policy and the National Agricultural Mechanization Investment Strategy that were launched back in August 2026. Those policies are all about pushing forward machinery manufacturing, assembly, servicing, innovation, and investment within Nigeria.
Kyari also hammered home the point that Nigeria can't keep planting crops only when the rains decide to show up. Irrigation and better water management have to advance hand-in-hand with mechanisation. When farmers have both water and machinery, they can farm beyond just one season. He gave a shout-out to the First Lady for her work through the Renewed Hope Initiative, stressing that empowering women and youth isn't just a social program; it's a solid economic strategy.
The Minister urged investors and development partners to put their money into the entire mechanisation ecosystem – from putting machines together and leasing them out, to providing maintenance, spare parts, training, technology, and financing. "As we unveil AGRI360 today, the task ahead is to turn access into ability, ability into enterprise, and enterprise into greater productivity. That is the promise of mechanization: not machines for their own sake, but a stronger agricultural economy that works for more Nigerians," he declared.
Adding more detail, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, revealed that AGRI360 is specifically designed to tackle the gender imbalance in agricultural mechanisation. He pointed out that while women make up a significant 49 per cent of the agricultural workforce, they are systematically shut out of mechanisation. This exclusion leads to a staggering loss of potential earnings, estimated at least $2.3 billion annually, primarily due to lower productivity.
Abdullahi explained that this initiative will directly address that gap by equipping 5,000 women and youth with the necessary skills over its three-year run. This focus is crucial because empowering women in agriculture has a ripple effect, lifting families and communities through increased income and business growth. The program aims to ensure that these new skills translate directly into tangible economic benefits, moving beyond just training to creating real opportunities for these beneficiaries.