Abuja: The Federal Government is collaborating with the Nigeria Women in Agriculture Progressive Development Initiative (NWAPDI) to equip small holder farmers with the tools to thrive in a technology-driven marketplace. The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, highlighted this collaboration during the official unveiling of the Sovereign AgroTrade System (SAS) at a summit in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Sovereign AgroTrade System is an innovative digital and physical trade infrastructure aimed at connecting Nigerian farmers, particularly women and youth, directly to both national and international markets. The summit, themed ‘Building Wealth from the Soil-Digitally and Inclusively,’ focused on transforming agriculture from subsistence to significance through digital ecosystems.
The minister, represented by his Special Adviser on Strategy, Mr Mohammed Jobdi, emphasized the initiative’s significance in the national agricultural transformation journey. He noted that the SAS system, featuring tools such as AgriXchange Marketplace, NWAPDI Grow, AgriCert, and FarmAssure, embodies 21st-century agricultural innovation, equipping smallholder farmers with necessary tools to thrive in a modern marketplace.
For a long time, rural farmers in Nigeria, especially women and youth, have been reliant on middlemen, disconnected from global markets, and deprived of financial systems to enhance productivity. The SAS initiative aims to change this narrative, offering farmers access to microloans, cooperative financing, savings platforms, and mobile payments directly from their phones.
The minister commended NWAPDI for their bold vision and tenacity, noting that the initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda focused on empowering people, building inclusive prosperity, and restoring dignity through innovation.
NWAPDI’s National Coordinator, Omolara Svensson, stated that the initiative is designed to move farmers from subsistence to prosperity, offering dignity, opportunity, and a future worth staying for. SAS serves as a bridge linking farms to markets and farmers to finance, promoting wealth creation, food security, and national pride.
Mr Dion Croom, President of Norcom, LLC, and Lead Consortium Partner, highlighted that the AgroTrade System was developed to empower women and youth in agriculture, promoting food security and sustainable farming practices.