Nigeria has unveiled an ambitious 10-year Strategic Action Plan (2026–2035) designed to transform the country’s agricultural sector through youth-led innovation, as part of a continent-wide response to food insecurity under the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration.

Vice President Kashim Shettima made the announcement on Tuesday at the ongoing United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during a high-level dialogue with African youth agri-food entrepreneurs and regional leaders.

According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said “a nation that is prepared for the future is not known by the promises it makes but by the place it gives to its youth in shaping those promises. To see African youths leading the charge in this essential sector speaks more eloquently than any speech”.

The new agricultural renewal plan, he explained, will align both national and subnational development goals, embed strong youth engagement, promote public-private partnerships, and operationalise Nigeria’s commitments to the CAADP 2026–2036 Kampala Declaration.

According to the Vice President, the Federal Government has already inaugurated an Agricultural Sector Working Group and a Technical Committee to coordinate the implementation of the plan, which aims to embed sustainability and resilience in food systems through inclusive and strategic programming.

Shettima highlighted major steps already taken by the Tinubu administration, including the recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture with ₦1.5 trillion ($1 billion), aimed at supporting Nigeria’s Youth Agricultural Revolution.

Young farmers and agri-groups are now able to access loans of up to ₦1 million nationwide.

“This is not charity. It is strategic inclusion. It is resilience engineered into policy,” he said.

He outlined a raft of youth-focused initiatives, including Nigeria’s collaboration with the Netherlands, CGIAR, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) under the Youth in Agribusiness initiative, targeting 10,000 youth—40 to 50% of whom are women—across innovation hubs in horticulture, poultry, aquaculture, and cassava processing.

The Federal Government is also ramping up mechanisation, expanding greenhouses and irrigation systems, and scaling up the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Project with Brazil.

This project aims to improve agricultural productivity year-round and enhance value chain efficiency.

“We launched the first 2,000 tractors in a $70 million investment, targeting over 550,000 hectares of land and reaching more than 550,000 farming households. In partnership with John Deere, we are deploying 10,000 tractors over five years,” the Vice President added.

Beyond production, Shettima emphasised the need for value addition and agro-processing, insisting that “we must end the era of exporting raw commodities” if Nigeria is to build sustainable local economies.

The proposed 10-Year Action Plan, he continued, will place strong emphasis on training and mentorship in agro-technology and agribusiness, backed by a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework to track outcomes and ensure accountability.

“This is not a sprint. It is a generational relay that requires collective action, strategic partnerships, and an unwavering commitment to shared responsibility”, Shettima asserted.

In a separate address at the Plenary Session on Transforming Food Systems in Complex Settings, the Vice President disclosed that Nigeria has already committed $538.05 million to the first phase of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme, which is being implemented in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and other partners.