The Federal Government has appealed to farmers, agribusiness operators, financial institutions, research bodies, development partners and other stakeholders to actively participate in the implementation of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme.
It stressed that stronger collaboration among stakeholders is essential for strengthening agricultural value chains, driving agro-industrial growth, improving food security and generating employment opportunities across the country.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, made the call in Abuja during the SAPZ Phase One Mid-Term Review Workshop.
He described the SAPZ initiative as a strategic agribusiness framework designed to support Nigeria’s economic diversification drive through agriculture, adding that it is aimed at transforming the sector into a modern, competitive and wealth-generating industry.
Ogunbiyi noted that the programme is expected to significantly reduce post-harvest losses from about 45 per cent to 20 per cent, while also boosting the productivity of major staple crops.
He added that the initiative could supply large quantities of food to the national food system, create an estimated 500,000 direct and indirect jobs across participating locations, and generate up to 2.5 million temporary jobs through infrastructure development and related economic activities.
According to him, SAPZ remains one of the Federal Government’s flagship interventions for agricultural transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which focuses on food security, industrialisation, economic diversification, job creation and rural development.
He explained that the programme was introduced to address long-standing sector challenges such as weak farm-to-market linkages, inadequate processing facilities, high post-harvest losses and limited value addition.
Ogunbiyi said the initiative is structured around integrated agro-industrial hubs that connect production, processing, storage, logistics and marketing systems within designated economic clusters.
However, he acknowledged several challenges affecting the first phase of implementation across seven states and the Federal Capital Territory, including low fund disbursement, procurement delays, approval bottlenecks and slow infrastructure rollout.
He expressed optimism that these challenges would be resolved through coordinated efforts among stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of the programme.
The permanent secretary explained that the review workshop was convened to assess progress, identify constraints and develop strategies for accelerating implementation.
He added that it also aimed to strengthen coordination across government levels and enhance cooperation with development partners to ensure meaningful impact at the grassroots.
Earlier, the National Programme Coordinator of SAPZ, Dr Kabir Yusuf, said the initiative is a comprehensive agro-industrialisation plan designed to attract private sector investment into value-added agricultural processing.
He noted that the programme is expected to improve food security, create jobs, reduce import dependence, alleviate rural poverty and increase agriculture’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
Yusuf said SAPZ is focused on developing agro-industrial clusters in high-producing agricultural areas to supply domestic markets while also generating exportable surpluses.
He added that the programme is also designed to empower smallholder farmers, processors, traders and community service providers, particularly women and young people, to benefit from emerging market opportunities.
He explained that the initiative is being implemented through collaboration between the Federal Government, the African Development Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Islamic Development Bank and participating state governments.
Yusuf disclosed that the first phase is ongoing in Cross River, Imo, Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara and the Federal Capital Territory, serving as a pilot for wider national rollout.
He said notable progress has been recorded in institutional strengthening, infrastructure planning, stakeholder engagement, environmental safeguards and private sector mobilisation, describing these as a solid foundation for the next phase of implementation.