Farming in Nigeria set for major boost from Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism

The Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (AFFM) has
kick-started a $2.2 million project to provide fertilizer suppliers in Nigeria
with financial support to improve supply for 200,000 smallholder farmers.

The trade credit guarantee project is AFFM’s first in the
West African nation and will involve 10 fertilizer suppliers, 12 hub
agro-dealers and 120 retail agro-dealers.

The project will also train farmers in proper fertilizer use
and other agricultural best practices.

A project launch held on 3 March in the capital Abuja, was
attended by senior director of African Development Bank’s Nigeria Regional
Office, Ebrima Faal and government and industry partners.

Participants discussed the project and its implementation
with AFFM’s local partner, the Africa Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership,
or AFAP.

“We will leverage on existing networks and look for creative
solutions to increase the availability of fertilizer in the country,” said
Nana-Aisha Mohammed, AFAP’s representative at the ceremony.

Umar Musa, Assistant Director of FMARD’s Farm Inputs Support
Services Department who represented the Nigerian Federal Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) said AFAP should work with the
Nigerian government and other actors in the fertilizer value chain to ensure
that the project complies with Nigeria’s policies and sector strategies.

“We expect this project to support smallholder farmers and
improve their productivity in order to help the country increase its local
production and consumption of fertilizer,” he said.

“We are confident that the project will increase access to
quality and affordable fertilizer by smallholder farmers and hence contribute
to the transformation of the agriculture sector in Nigeria,” said Marie Claire
Kalihangabo, AFFM Coordinator.

Kalihangabo expressed her gratitude to the Government of
Nigeria for their financial support to the Africa Fertilizer Financing
Mechanism.

The Bank’s Nigeria Regional Office Faal said the National
Fertilizer Quality Control Act 2019 further serves to reinforce the
government’s commitment to the sector.

“This program is timely because the government has placed
measures to encourage local production of fertilizer,” he said.