ABUJA, Nigeria – In a significant stride toward agricultural modernization, the Federal Government of Nigeria has officially inaugurated the National Digital Farmers Registry (NDFR) Multi-Stakeholder Collaborative Knowledge Sharing Platform. The initiative, launched at a national stakeholder workshop, aims to create a unified, verifiable, and interoperable system for identifying and supporting genuine farmers across the nation.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, emphasized that the NDFR is a strategic pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda and a critical step toward securing Nigeria’s food future. He stated that the era of fragmented farmer databases must give way to a new era of harmonization and digital efficiency.

A Foundational Shift in Agricultural Data Management

For years, Nigeria has accumulated multiple farmer databases through various programs and partner institutions. While useful, the absence of a unified system has resulted in duplication, inconsistencies, resource leakages, and persistent challenges in accurately identifying genuine farmers.

The NDFR is designed to solve these problems by establishing a precise, real-time, and geo-referenced information platform. It will serve as a foundational component of Nigeria’s Agriculture Digital Public Infrastructure (AgDPI), enabling a wide range of services.

    • Farmer Verification: Creating a single, trusted source of truth for farmer information.

    • Targeted Interventions: Ensuring government support like inputs, mechanization, and credit reaches the right beneficiaries.

    • Financial Inclusion: Allowing banks and other financial institutions to quickly verify farmers and plug their services into the registry.

    • Data-Driven Planning: Providing the government with clear visibility into the farming population for accurate planning and policy-making.

 

High-Level Support and Continental Vision

The workshop was organized by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Heifer International.

In her opening remarks, Mrs. Dede Ekoue, IFAD Country Director, congratulated the Nigerian government and underscored that the initiative demonstrates a strong government commitment to transforming the agricultural sector and improving the lives of Nigerian farmers. She noted that the initiative aims to mobilize key stakeholders toward a robust, NIN-empowered digital farmers registry that enhances service delivery, promotes transparency, and ensures inclusivity.

The Minister also pointed out that the NDFR reflects Nigeria’s commitment to the Kampala Declaration on Strengthening Digital and Data Systems for Agricultural Transformation under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Agenda.

“By building a unified and interoperable digital foundation for agriculture, we are helping shape an Africa that plans with clarity, acts with confidence, and delivers with purpose,” Senator Kyari stated.

Core Objectives and Collaborative Execution

Speaking on the technical support for the project, Lekan Tobe, Country Director for Heifer International in Nigeria, explained that the organizations are jointly supporting a robust policy dialogue. The technical support is guided by three core objectives:

    1. Researching global best practices to define the roadmap for a NIN-supported registry.

    1. Building the capacity of stakeholders across Nigeria.

    1. Developing a platform for ongoing engagement and coordination.

Ms. Brenda Mulele Gunde, IFAD ICT4D Global Lead, described the initiative as a coordinated national effort rather than a single institutional exercise. “The unified registry will consolidate existing datasets into one reliable national repository that serves as a single source of truth for farmer information,” she said.

A New Era for Nigerian Farmers

The launch of the NDFR marks a pivotal moment for Nigeria’s agricultural sector. By replacing a fragmented past with a unified, digital future, the registry is poised to deepen accountability, drive investments, and ensure that support reaches the farmers who need it most, ultimately changing the narrative of agricultural development in Nigeria for food security, entrepreneurship, and GDP growth.

For more information and to get involved, stakeholders are encouraged to leverage the NDFR Knowledge Sharing Platform at Forum Discussion – NATIONAL DIGITAL FARMERS REGISTRY