Nigeria has made a significant move towards revitalizing its agricultural research system, marking the first evaluation of its National Agricultural Research System (NARS) in over 40 years. The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, announced this during a report validation session of the NADF Baseline Survey and Needs Assessment of Agricultural Research Institutes and Federal Colleges of Agriculture, held in Abuja on Friday.
Abdullahi noted that the last system-wide evaluation was carried out before President Shehu Shagari’s Green Revolution in the 1980s, and since then, no government had considered a comprehensive assessment of the agricultural research system until the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The minister acknowledged the efforts of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) for leading the project and stressed the importance of upgrading research and training infrastructure. He emphasized that agricultural research is essential for the sector’s growth and for advancing food security, agro-industrialization, and poverty alleviation.
The NADF Executive Secretary, Mohammed Ibrahim, explained that the evaluation covered 16 agricultural research institutes and 17 colleges of agriculture. He highlighted the deplorable condition of these institutions, attributing it to years of neglect. Despite the challenges, Ibrahim expressed optimism, noting that under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the government is committed to reforming the agricultural research system.
The Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria’s Executive Secretary, Garba Sharubutu, called the assessment a “rebirth” of the country’s agricultural research system, underscoring the lack of progress in the sector for over 25 years before the current administration’s intervention.
Lateef Sanni, Executive Director of the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute, emphasized that improving the ability of research institutes to generate and transfer innovative technologies is vital to addressing Nigeria’s food security challenges. He stressed that without significant investments in research, innovation, and development, the country could not achieve substantial progress in agriculture.
The needs assessment report revealed that many research tools and equipment are outdated, as they were procured decades ago. However, Abdullahi noted that funding to these institutions has increased under the Renewed Hope Agenda, though the budget remains insufficient to fully address the infrastructure gap. To address this, NADF has entered into partnerships to provide constant power and reliable internet connectivity to these institutes.
This initiative marks a critical step toward strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural research capacity and fostering sustainable development in the sector.
