Food Security: FG Partners NWAPDI On Digital Trade Initiative For Women Farmers

Magdalene Ukuedojor
Aug, Thu, 2025

Agriculture

Food Security: FG partners NWAPDI on digital trade initiative for women farmers

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By Doris Esa

The Federal Government is collaborating with the Nigeria Women in Agriculture Progressive Development Initiative (NWAPDI) to equip small holder farmers with the tools to thrive in technology-driven marketplace.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, stated this at the NWAPDI’s Sovereign AgroTrade System (SAS) official unveiling and summit on Thursday in Abuja.

The Sovereign AgroTrade System is a groundbreaking digital and physical trade infrastructure designed to connect Nigerian farmers, especially women and youth directly to national and international markets.

The theme of the summit is “Building Wealth from the Soil-Digitally and Inclusively.”

The minister, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Strategy, Mr Mohammed Jobdi, said the initiative is a landmark contribution to the national agricultural transformation journey.

“I am proud to stand here as we witness the official birth of the Sovereign AgroTrade System (SAS), a digital ecosystem created by NWAPDI to transform agriculture from subsistence to significance.

“The SAS system including tools like AgriXchange Marketplace, NWAPDI Grow, AgriCert, and FarmAssure is an embodiment of what agricultural innovation should look like in the 21st century.

“Through this ecosystem, we are equipping smallholder farmers with the tools to thrive not just to survive in a modern, technology-driven marketplace.

“Today, we are not just unveiling a platform. We are launching a movement. A movement designed by Nigerians, for Nigerians particularly our women and youth,” he said.

He said that for too long, Nigerian rural farmers, especially women and youth have remained at the mercy of middlemen.

According to him, they are disconnected from global markets and deprived of the financial systems that could help scale-up their productivity adding that SAS changed that narrative.

“Through NWAPDI Grow, farmers can now access microloans, cooperative financing, savings platforms, and mobile payments directly from their phones. This is financial inclusion redefined, bringing banking to the bush, and banking on our people’s success,” he said.

The minister commended NWAPDI and its leadership and team for the initiative, bold vision and tenacity.

“You are not only solving problems, but you are also setting a new national standards essence of the Renewed Hope Agenda of empowering people, building inclusive prosperity, and restoring dignity through hard work, innovation, and purpose.

“The Federal Government is committed to creating an enabling environment for this system to thrive, scaling its impact, and integrating its data and insights into our broader national agricultural strategy,” he said.

Earlier, NWAPDI’s National Coordinator, Omolara Svensson, said the initiative aimed to move farmers from subsistence to prosperity.

SAS is not just technology but a promise that our farmers will no longer be at the mercy of middlemen and volatile markets.

“This is how we keep our youth on the land, not because they have no other option, but because agriculture now offers dignity, opportunity, and a future worth staying for.

“SAS is a bridge, linking farms to markets, farmers to finance, and communities to global opportunities. It is a tool for wealth creation, food security, and national pride,” she said.

She urged all women farmers every young agrientrepreneur and every community leader to own the initiative.

“Use it, let it lift you from where you are to where you dream to be because when women farmers rise, nations are fed, economies are strengthened, and communities are transformed,” she said.

Mr Dion Croom, President, Norcom, LLC, and Lead Consortium Partner, said the AgroTrade System was developed to empower women and youth in agriculture.

Croom said that the system also aimed to promote food security and sustainable farming practices. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Joseph Edeh

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