Over 14,000 farmers have benefited from input support, through the Special Agro Industrial Processing Zones, SAPZs and about 17,000 are expected to receive inputs support for the 2025 dry season farming from the project’s pilot states.
Presenting progress updates, at the launch of the SAPs joint supervision mission in Abuja, the country director of International Fund For Agriculture Development, IFAD, Dede Ekoue said that the programme has recorded significant milestones, transitioning from planning to concrete delivery. The report shows profiling of 41,204 smallholder farmers and value chain actors including 7,398 from the 2024 Kano pilot and 33,806 from the 2025 profiling in Ogun and Kano States.
The essence of the Joint Supervision Mission is to examine the progress achieved so far, in the implementation of SAPZ, review bottlenecks, and chart a clear, coordinated path that will accelerate results across all SAPZ States. The mission is a strategic opportunity to strengthen delivery and accountability.
So far, out of over $538 million budgeted for the project, only a total of $34.7 million have been disbursed, with 33,806 farmers in Ogun and Kano states topping the beneficiary table.
This Second Joint Supervision Mission of SAPZ Project aims to enhance programme performance, identify implementation challenges, and strengthen accountability for accelerated results across participating states.
The SAPZ programme stands as a flagship collaboration between the Government of Nigeria, IFAD, and participating states, designed to structurally transform Nigeria’s food systems through enterprise development, agro-industrialisation, youth employment, and inclusive rural prosperity.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
