The Federal Government has unveiled plans to provide up to ₦2 billion in financing to each of 40 tertiary institutions under the Renewed Hope Tertiary Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Programme.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during a meeting with heads of the selected institutions and the management of the Bank of Agriculture to discuss the implementation of the programme.
According to Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser (Media and Communications) in a Statement on Tuesday, 3rd November, 2026, Alausa said the initiative would harness more than 500,000 hectares of underutilised land across tertiary institutions for commercial agricultural production, research and enterprise development.
He explained that participating universities, polytechnics and colleges of education would be expected to provide approximately 1,000 hectares of land each, although institutions with smaller landholdings could also qualify based on the viability of their business proposals.
Under the arrangement, each participating institution would establish a limited liability company to partner with the Bank of Agriculture, which would provide between ₦1 billion and ₦2 billion in financing for agricultural production and related inputs.
The Minister said the Federal Ministry of Education had also made provision of ₦20 billion in its capital budget to support 20 tertiary institutions under the agricultural development initiative.
He added that the programme builds on previous Federal Government interventions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which approved funding allocations of ₦1 billion for some institutions and ₦2 billion for others.
On mechanisation, Alausa said each participating institution would have access to 10 tractors at significantly reduced costs through the government’s agricultural mechanisation initiative.
He said the support package would also include modern seedlings, farm implements, irrigation equipment, water pumps, fertilisers and technical expertise to enhance productivity.
To guarantee a ready market for agricultural produce, the government would engage produce aggregators to purchase harvested crops and introduce measures to minimise post-harvest losses.
Alausa stressed that the initiative was designed not only to increase food production but also to establish sustainable agricultural value chains, with processing and other agro-allied activities expected to feature in subsequent phases.
He said the programme would create employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for students, unemployed graduates, alumni, academic and non-academic staff, as well as members of host communities.
According to him, participants would gain practical agricultural experience under the supervision of lecturers and agricultural experts while benefiting from the economic returns generated by the farms.
The Minister projected that the initiative could attract investments running into trillions of naira in the coming years, while repositioning tertiary institutions as centres of agricultural innovation, commercial production and enterprise development.
The Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Adamu Ahmed, welcomed the initiative, describing it as an opportunity to translate the institution’s agricultural research capacity into commercial production.
He cited the university’s existing agricultural institutions, including the Institute of Agricultural Research, the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services and its Faculty of Agriculture, as strong foundations for the programme.
Similarly, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Oko, Dr Chioma Irene Awuzie, commended the Federal Government, saying the initiative would enable the institution to maximise its available land through mechanised farming and improve agricultural production.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, said the bank would provide financing and market linkages to support participating institutions.
He noted that the programme would help commercialise agricultural research, improve productivity, create opportunities for young people and enable tertiary institutions to generate revenue from their agricultural investments.
Alausa assured that the Ministry would work with the Bank of Agriculture, relevant government agencies and participating institutions to ensure the successful implementation of the programme.
He said the initiative was part of efforts to translate President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda into tangible results through improved food production, youth empowerment and sustainable economic opportunities.
