Key Points
- NADF has trained 4,000 tractor operators and mechanics to support Nigeria’s agricultural mechanisation programme.
- Federal Government is deploying 2,000 tractors and more than 9,000 implements and spare parts.
- Government says financing, maintenance, skills and accountability are critical to sustaining mechanisation.
Main Story
The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has trained 4,000 tractor operators and mechanics to support Nigeria’s agricultural mechanisation programme, the Federal Government has said.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this on the sidelines of the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Rwanda, where discussions focused on sustainable agricultural mechanisation and resilient food systems.
Kyari said the trained personnel would provide the skilled manpower required to operate and maintain agricultural machinery being deployed across the country.
He said the government was deploying 2,000 tractors, alongside more than 9,000 agricultural implements and spare parts, through a service-provider model.
According to him, the model is intended to improve farmers’ access to mechanisation while ensuring more efficient use and management of agricultural equipment.
The minister said training operators and mechanics was necessary to ensure that investments in machinery translated into increased farm productivity, employment and improved food security.
He commended NADF for strengthening the mechanisation drive through skills development.
Kyari said the government’s approach went beyond purchasing and distributing equipment, stressing that sustainable mechanisation also depended on financing, equipment utilisation, maintenance systems, skilled personnel and accountability.
The Issues
Nigeria’s mechanisation programme faces the challenge of ensuring that agricultural equipment remains operational after deployment.
The government’s decision to combine equipment deployment with operator and mechanic training is aimed at addressing the skills and maintenance requirements needed to keep the machinery in use.
Kyari also identified irrigation, dry-season farming, climate-smart agriculture and soil health as areas receiving government investment to increase food production and strengthen resilience.
He added that support was being provided to displaced farmers returning to agricultural production.
What’s Being Said
“Our shared objective is not simply to put more tractors on the field but to build a sustainable system of finance, utilisation, maintenance, skills and accountability around them.” – Sen. Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security.
“Building a resilient and competitive food system ultimately requires bringing land, water, technology, finance and markets together within a coordinated framework capable of withstanding shocks, raising productivity and delivering sustainable prosperity.” – Sen. Abubakar Kyari.
What’s Next
Kyari called for greater private-sector investment and stronger partnerships across the agricultural value chain.
He said government would need to create an enabling environment for investment in agricultural production, processing, technology, logistics and markets.
The minister said Nigeria’s large and youthful population, expanding domestic market and agricultural potential could provide economic opportunities if public investment, private capital, technology, infrastructure and human capacity were better aligned.
Bottom Line
The Federal Government is pairing the deployment of 2,000 tractors and more than 9,000 agricultural implements with skills development, with 4,000 operators and mechanics already trained through NADF. The government says sustained mechanisation will depend on financing, maintenance, skills, utilisation and accountability, not equipment procurement alone.
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