President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commissioned over 9,000 units of agricultural mechanization equipment under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanization Programme, a bold initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria’s agriculture sector, achieving food sovereignty, and positioning the country as a global agricultural player.

 

Speaking at the launch event in Abuja, President Tinubu said the programme is a pivotal step in modernizing agriculture, improving productivity, and making farming more attractive to young Nigerians.

 

“We have over 2,000 advanced tractors, 50 bulldozers, 12 mobile workshops, and more than 9,000 farming tools ready. This will make farming easier, create jobs, and make it ‘sexier’ for our youths,” Tinubu declared.

 

He emphasized that the newly commissioned equipment will be deployed nationwide to empower service providers, facilitate year-round cultivation, and generate employment, particularly for the youth.

 

“Our ambition extends beyond mere self-sufficiency. We envision Nigeria as a global agricultural powerhouse, supplying quality produce to international markets while ensuring every citizen has access to affordable nutrition,” he said.

 

The President also commended the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for its efforts in combating food insecurity and tasked stakeholders with using the equipment responsibly.

 

“To all stakeholders receiving this equipment, deploy them with maximum efficiency. We will supervise and hold you accountable,” he warned.

 

He further acknowledged Nigeria’s strategic partnership with Belarus, which has supported training in technology, machine repair, and fabrication. Tinubu assured continued support through complementary programmes across federal and state levels.

 

Largest Mechanization Effort in Nigeria’s History

 

In his remarks, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, described the initiative as a “historic milestone” in Nigeria’s journey toward agricultural transformation and food security.

 

He outlined four key components under the Renewed Hope programme:

• The John Deere Characterization Program

• The Greener Hope Project

• The Green Imperative Programme

• The Delaware Project

 

According to Kyari, the programme is the largest agricultural mechanization initiative in the country’s history, featuring:

• 2,000 high-quality tractors with trailers and attachments

• 10 state-of-the-art 330-horsepower combined harvesters

• 12 mobile workshops

• Over 9,000 farming implements

• 9,000 sets of spare parts

 

“This programme is designed to bring over 550,000 hectares of farmland into cultivation, produce more than 2 million metric tons of staple food, create over 16,000 jobs, and directly benefit more than 550,000 farming households across all six geopolitical zones,” Kyari noted.

 

He acknowledged the technical support of APRE-BNCC, a Belarusian-led enterprise, and welcomed the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Victor Karankevich, at the event.

 

Karankevich praised the collaboration and expressed Belarus’s readiness to participate in the programme’s second phase, citing his country’s decades-long experience supplying agricultural machinery to over 100 countries.

 

The launch event was attended by government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, development partners, and key stakeholders in Nigeria’s agriculture sector.