The Federal Government has unveiled the National Agricultural Mechanization Policy and the National Agricultural Mechanization Investment Strategy as part of efforts to transform Nigeria’s agricultural sector and strengthen food sovereignty.
The government also announced plans to establish a mega tractor assembly plant capable of producing between 2,000 and 4,000 tractors annually.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the High-Level National Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Mechanization in Abuja.
Kyari said the two policy instruments would provide a framework for moving Nigeria from agricultural potential to an agricultural powerhouse and from dependence on food imports to food sovereignty.
He stressed that agricultural mechanization goes beyond the provision of tractors, covering land preparation, planting, irrigation, crop protection, harvesting, processing, storage, logistics, precision agriculture, digital technology, financing, insurance, maintenance and after-sales services.
“Our ambition, therefore, must be larger than equipment ownership. We must build a Mechanization-as-a-Service economy in which technology reaches the farmer when and where it is needed, at a cost that is commercially viable and sustainably financed,” the minister said.
According to him, the Federal Government, through the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanization Programme (RH-NAMP), is procuring and deploying 2,000 tractors alongside more than 9,000 assorted implements and spare parts.
Kyari described the intervention as the largest single agricultural mechanization programme undertaken in Africa, stressing that its success would ultimately be measured by the extent to which farmers can access and effectively use the equipment.
He said the proposed tractor assembly plant would help reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported machinery, promote local manufacturing, create jobs and establish a sustainable mechanization economy.
The minister called on investors, young people and women to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the agricultural mechanization sector.
“Nigeria is open for investment in agricultural mechanization. We are not seeking capital merely to purchase machines. We are seeking partners to build an enduring agricultural technology and services ecosystem,” he said.
Kyari also urged Nigerian youths to take an active role in the sector, describing agriculture as an increasingly important area of enterprise, technology and wealth creation.
He cited Borno State as an example of state-level commitment to agricultural development, noting that Governor Babagana Umara Zulum had delivered 200 truckloads of fertilizer to farmers and supported the development of more than a dozen solar-powered irrigation systems and sites.
The minister also commended TracTrac Mechanization Services Limited for training young Nigerians as mechanization service providers and deploying small-scale tractors to smallholder farmers.
Kyari outlined a shared responsibility framework under which the Federal Government would provide policy direction, standards and coordination, while state governments would support land access, infrastructure and implementation.
He said the private sector would drive investment and service delivery, financial institutions would develop financing and risk-sharing mechanisms, while development partners and research institutions would provide technical support.
The minister said the ratification of the National Agricultural Mechanization Policy and the inauguration of its Implementation Taskforce marked the beginning of the implementation phase.
Speaking at the event, Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for its agricultural policies aimed at improving food production, achieving food sovereignty and promoting economic growth.
Zulum said the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s mechanization programme had the potential to significantly transform Nigeria’s agricultural ecosystem.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the mechanization initiative would improve farmers’ livelihoods and increase food production across the country.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Marcus O. Ogunbiyi, said Nigeria must confront the longstanding challenges limiting agricultural productivity, including inadequate machinery, high levels of manual labour, limited access to appropriate technologies and insufficient investment across the value chain.
Ogunbiyi emphasized that mechanization was not simply about tractors and implements but also about food security, productivity, rural development, youth employment, women’s economic empowerment and private-sector investment.
“A tractor without an operator is an idle asset. A machine without maintenance is a depreciating investment. Equipment without finance cannot reach the farmer,” he said.
He stressed the need for a national mechanization ecosystem that links machinery with financing, operators, maintenance services, spare parts, digital systems, research, standards, farmers and markets.
The Permanent Secretary also described agricultural mechanization as a major investment opportunity spanning machinery assembly and leasing, maintenance, spare-parts manufacturing, digital fleet management, operator training, irrigation, post-harvest technology and agro-processing.
He acknowledged the contributions of development partners, particularly the Food and Agriculture Organization, as well as the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization, Institute for Agricultural Research, Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers, Standards Organisation of Nigeria and TracTrac Mechanization Services Limited to the development of the policy frameworks.
In his opening remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of TracTrac MSL, Mr. Godson Ohuruogu, described the dialogue as a major step toward moving Nigeria from years of discussions on agricultural mechanization to the implementation of a national policy and investment strategy.
Ohuruogu said TracTrac, through its operations and the ISSAM Project supported by the Mastercard Foundation, had reached more than 500,000 farmers, catalysed over ₦2 billion in investment, trained more than 6,000 youths, women and persons with disabilities, created 3,000 jobs and established 567 cooperatives.
He said the success of the policy should ultimately be measured by its impact on farmers, particularly their ability to access timely and affordable mechanization services.
The highlight of the event was the formal unveiling of the National Agricultural Mechanization Policy and the National Agricultural Mechanization Investment Strategy by Governor Zulum.
Ezeaja Ikemefuna
Head, Department of Information
August 12, 2026
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