morGANABLE agriculture/Food security
As part of its expanded intervention, the bank recently engaged women farmers in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, providing them with agricultural inputs to support their ongoing farming activities
KaNo—
The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has unveiled plans to expand access to finance and agricultural inputs for women farmers across Nigeria, in a renewed push to boost food production, improve livelihoods and deepen women’s participation in the agricultural value chain.
The initiative, announced in a statement issued on Monday, forms part of the bank’s broader strategy to address longstanding barriers limiting women’s productivity in agriculture, including restricted access to credit, inputs, technology, mechanisation and markets.
According to the bank, women remain a critical force in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, accounting for a significant proportion of the workforce.
Citing estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the bank noted that women make up as much as 70 per cent of the agricultural labour force, underscoring their importance to national food systems.
Women Farmers Facing Systemic Barriers
Despite their dominant role, BOA said women farmers continue to face systemic constraints that limit their productivity and economic potential.
Evidence from the World Bank shows that bridging the gap in access to productive resources for all could significantly increase agricultural yields and overall output in the country.
The bank stressed that unlocking this potential would have far-reaching implications for food security, poverty reduction and economic growth.
However, it noted that limited access to finance remains a major bottleneck.
Recent data cited by the bank indicates that only about three per cent of female farmers in Nigeria are formally enrolled in financial systems, compared with 10 per cent of their male counterparts.
“For the Bank of Agriculture, this gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity to expand access to agricultural finance in ways that help women farmers increase production, strengthen their livelihoods and participate more fully in the agricultural value chain,” the statement read.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BOA, Ayodeji Sotinrin, said the bank’s approach goes beyond the provision of credit to addressing the broader ecosystem required for agricultural productivity.
“Women are already contributing significantly to agriculture and to Nigeria’s food system. Our responsibility is to ensure that the systems around them give them a better opportunity to produce, grow and participate in the value chain,” Sotinrin said.
Quality Inputs,Markets Linkages Necessary
He added that financing alone was insufficient without complementary support such as access to quality inputs, mechanisation and market linkages.
“Agricultural financing cannot end with disbursement. Farmers need access to inputs, mechanisation, markets and other support required to turn financing into output. That is the ecosystem we are building at the Bank of Agriculture,” he said.
As part of its expanded intervention, the bank recently engaged women farmers in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, providing them with agricultural inputs to support their ongoing farming activities.
The initiative is also being implemented through the bank’s Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund.
Under the programme, BOA is partnering with farmer aggregation companies to integrate more than two million smallholder farmers into a structured, government-backed on-lending framework.
In addition, the bank disclosed that it is deploying a N250 billion facility to provide single-digit interest loans to smallholder farmers, a move expected to ease the cost of financing and encourage greater participation in formal agricultural systems.
The bank emphasised that addressing the challenges faced by women farmers requires a holistic approach, as the barriers to production are interconnected.
“Limited access to inputs, technology, mechanisation and markets shapes how much a farmer can produce and how much value they ultimately retain from their work,” the statement noted.
To tackle market uncertainties, BOA said it is leveraging its Guaranteed Minimum Price Aggregation Programme to connect farmers producing selected commodities to structured aggregation systems, accredited warehouses and assured offtake arrangements.
This, it said, provides farmers with greater confidence and stability in marketing their produce.
“Across these interventions, the objective remains to make agricultural finance more meaningful to the farmer by connecting capital to the real needs of production,” the bank stated.
Kyari Urges BOA To Prioritize Affordable Finance To Farmers
Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has urged the newly inaugurated governing board of BOA to prioritise the expansion of affordable and timely financing for farmers and agribusinesses.
Speaking in Abuja at a one-day retreat for board members, Kyari stressed the importance of ensuring that financial services reach underserved groups, particularly women, smallholder farmers and young agripreneurs in rural communities.
He said the bank must remain committed to its developmental mandate by delivering financing that is not only accessible but also tailored to the realities of agricultural production.
“Agricultural financing must not only be available but also be appropriate, timely, affordable and responsive to the realities of agricultural production,” the minister said.
Kyari further called on the board to explore innovative financial instruments that reflect the seasonal nature of agriculture and mitigate the risks associated with lending to farmers.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, urged the board to reposition agriculture as a commercially viable and technology-driven sector.
He noted that transforming agriculture from subsistence to a modern, investment-oriented industry would require strategic financing, improved infrastructure and stronger value chain integration.
The BOA said its expanded interventions align with the Federal Government’s broader efforts to increase domestic food production, strengthen food security and build more resilient agricultural systems.
It added that closing the gap between farmers’ productive potential and their access to resources would remain central to achieving these goals.
The bank reaffirmed its commitment to deepening partnerships, expanding financing mechanisms and strengthening value-chain support to bring more farmers,particularly women and other underserved groups ,into the formal agricultural economy.