The Federal Government on Wednesday signed a financing agreement for the Value Chain Programme in Northern Nigeria (VCN), worth $158.15 million.
This is part of ongoing efforts to revolutionalize the nation’s agriculture sector, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, on 7th May, 2025.
According to the statement, with the signing of the agreement, the implementation of the $158.15 million VCN project begins immediately to support agriculture value chain development and value addition for farmers in nine states of the northern part of the country.
Project Details
- The initiative is said to be co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the French Development Agency (AFD), and the Government of Nigeria.
“The eight-year initiative, validated on March 21, 2024, was conceived following Vice President Kashim Shettima’s request during UNFSS stocktaking in Rome on July 24, 2023, that IFAD should scale-up its portfolio in Nigeria and mobilise additional partners and donors to support the agri-food transformation and food security of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” the statement partly reads.
- The VP office stated the project is expected to sustainably reduce poverty, enhance nutrition and better resilience of rural and most vulnerable populations in the nine northern states, which include Borno, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoko, Yobe and Zamfara.
- Speaking during the signing ceremony of the financing agreement for the VCN project at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima described the initiative as a product of critical thinking focused on the economic reality of the northern region.
- He highlighted that the development is a fulfilment of the promise made by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reduce poverty in Nigeria, restore dignity to the nation’s farmers, and ensure food security.
“It is a declaration of faith in the North, not as a region of deficits, but as a place of abundance. It also invites us to play our part in fulfilling the promise to reduce poverty, nourish our people, and restore dignity to farming families across Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano, Yobe, and Zamfara.
“What has brought us together today is an investment of $158.15 million, co-financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Federal Government of Nigeria, and other stakeholders. This reflects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to prioritising what matters most—people, productivity, and prosperity,” VP Shettima declared.
- The VP recalled that the administration recently commenced foundation laying for the construction of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) across Nigeria, adding that the said VCN programme will feed into the SAPZs, serving as “a steady pipeline of raw materials and ensuring our processors no longer grope for quality inputs.”
“This synergy will shift us from exporting raw produce to exporting value-added goods—creating jobs, wealth, and industrial stability,” he added.
- Senator Shettima observed that the recent global trade disruptions and the resurgence of protectionism are loud warnings to Nigeria to begin to grow what its people eat and produce what they trade.
- He assured that the federal government will deploy digital tools to track every step of the project, “from farmer registration to market access, from input distribution to yield analysis”.
- He said in regions where migration and insecurity are fuelled by joblessness, the VCN will provide vehicles for enterprise, income, and dignity.
More Insights
- On his part, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said the signing of the financing agreement represents a significant milestone in the efforts to transform the agricultural landscape in Nigeria under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.
- In her remarks, the Country Director of IFAD, Mrs Dede Ekoue, said the programme is a $158.15 million project targeted at transforming agribusiness in nine northern states of Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara, over a period of 8 years, targeting about 3.1 million household members.
- The IFAD Country Director stressed that expected results from the interventions include the creation of over 30,000 jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for youths, women and vulnerable groups and the construction of over 229km of roads across the region to enhance access to market, among others.
