From Suleiman Abubakar MAPSA
Key public and private stakeholders in Nigeria’s digital agricultural extension sector have called for the establishment of a sustainable Public-Private Partnership (PPP) business model to drive digital extension delivery solutions in the country.
The appeal was made during a stakeholder workshop held by the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) in Lagos on Thursday, November 7, 2024, to launch the project titled, “A Consultative Engagement Exercise for a Product Profile Design for Nigeria’s Public-Private Partnership Digital Extension Delivery System.”
The project, supported by funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to conduct an engagement exercise and scoping study across Oyo, Gombe, and Kaduna States.
It seeks to profile a digital extension delivery solution tailored to the specific needs of small-scale farmers, with a focus on promoting gender equality and enhancing climate resilience within crop and livestock value chains.
This was contained in a press statement signed by Moses Nongoatse, Communication Officer for Sasakawa Africa Association Nigeria, contributed to the report.
The initiative is being executed by the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) in collaboration with partners including SAA, AGRA, Sahel Consulting, and Africa Practice.
The launch event featured participants from various sectors, including the Ministry of Agriculture, government agricultural development programs (ADPs), agro-allied firms, tech companies, financial institutions, NGOs, and farmer organizations.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Adeola Lordbanjou, Director of the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension, highlighted the declining effectiveness of the traditional Training and Visit (T&V) extension approach due to a severe shortage of extension agents.
"Nigeria has gone from one extension agent serving 500 farmers to one agent for 10,000 households," Dr. Lordbanjou stated.
He emphasized that digital technologies could revitalize agricultural extension and align with the nation’s newly launched National Agricultural Extension Policy (NAEP), which prioritizes ICT integration.
Dr. Silim Nahdy, Executive Director of AFAAS, reiterated the Gates Foundation’s commitment to expanding high-quality digital solutions for small-scale producers. He emphasized the project’s role in fostering a collaborative PPP business model that would integrate diverse digital tools to improve farmer-level outcomes.
Dr. Godwin Atser, SAA Nigeria’s Country Director, urged stakeholders to work collectively and avoid fragmented efforts, stating that SAA’s initial workstream would focus on a conceptual and needs assessment that aligns with the interests of both small-scale producers and private sector investors.
