The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) have signed a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating agricultural transformation in Nigeria through climate-smart farming, institutional reforms and large-scale financing.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Abuja by Elsie Attafuah and Ayodeji Oludare Sotinrin.

The partnership will align BOA’s revitalisation agenda with UNDP’s Integrated Smart States Programme (ISSP), which aims to connect federal reforms, state-level delivery platforms and investment pipelines to strengthen Nigeria’s food systems.

Under the collaboration, the two institutions will work to mobilise climate finance, blended finance and private investment to support farmers, agribusinesses and agricultural value chains across the country.

A key focus will be the One Million Hectare Tree Crop Initiative, a presidential programme targeting large-scale cultivation of high-value crops such as cocoa, cashew, oil palm, rubber and coffee to boost exports, create jobs and improve climate resilience.

The agreement will also support digital farmer systems, credit profiling and market access opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), while strengthening the governance and operational capacity of the Bank of Agriculture.

As part of the partnership, UNDP also provided ICT equipment to help modernise BOA’s digital systems and improve service delivery to farmers and agribusinesses nationwide.

Officials say the initiative is expected to strengthen food security, rural livelihoods and investment in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, positioning agriculture as a major driver of jobs, exports and sustainable economic growth.