Nigeria has unveiled a US$500 million Niger Delta Agricultural Investment Fund, one of the country’s largest agriculture-focused investment initiatives, aimed at transforming the oil-rich Niger Delta into a major agribusiness hub while strengthening food security and reducing dependence on crude oil revenues. Announced by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and ...

Burkina Faso has announced an immediate ban on fresh tomato exports in a decisive move to protect its domestic agro-processing industry and secure raw material supply—triggering potential ripple effects across West Africa. The directive, issued on March 16, 2026, suspends all exports of fresh tomatoes nationwide, with authorities warning of strict enforcement and legal consequences ...

In Niger State, women farmers are losing faith in government-backed agricultural insurance schemes designed to protect them from crop failure, drought, and pest invasion. For many, the promises of protection have turned into frustration, leaving them to turn instead to faith, solidarity, and community cooperatives as their only safety nets. Jummai, a soybean farmer, recalls ...

Asamoah Oppong Zadok Food insecurity is no longer just a humanitarian concern in sub-Saharan Africa: It is a business issue. In my work as a researcher and entrepreneur focused on sustainable agriculture, I have interacted with smallholder farmers, agribusiness enterprises and policy institutions across the region. In the process, I have come to understand that ...

By Dowell, Agrifocus Africa July 21, 2025 Thirteen West African countries are advancing a bold regional initiative to fortify rice production against the growing threats of climate change. Backed by a $9.44 million grant from the African Development Fund, the REWARD–Adaptation project is set to transform rice value chains with climate-smart technologies, capacity building, and ...

©Benedicte Kurzen/NOOR for FAO The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved projects worth more than $300 million that will protect forests in Papua New Guinea, promote sustainable fisheries in Saint Lucia, and help grow Africa’s Great Green Wall. The initiatives, designed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), were greenlighted at ...

Niger State Government has signed an agreement with Russia’s largest financial institution, Sberbank centred on agriculture, healthcare, education, and Artificial Intelligence. The deal was sealed during the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum held in Russia where Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago signed on behalf of the State government while the Senior Vice President of Sberbank, ...

The World Leadership Merit Award Committee has nominated the Niger State Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Bago, for the prestigious World Star Farmer Award, recognising his exceptional contributions to agriculture and rural development in Nigeria. The announcement coincided with the governor’s 51st birthday on February 22, 2025, and was described as a special birthday honour by the ...

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna The New Niger Agricultural Revolution has received a boost with the allocation of 60 hectares of land to Niger Food and Logistics on a lease agreement by the Suragi community in Mokwa Local Government Area of the state. Mokwa Council Chairman, Jibrin Abdullahi Muregi who is leading the negotiations with other ...

Christian Thierfelder, Principal Scientist at CIMMYT, poses in a field that is being tested for conservation agriculture at Henderson Research Station, Harare, Zimbabwe. Credit, Busani Bafana/IPS BULAWAYO, Dec 05 (IPS) – On the dusty plains of Shamva District in Zimbabwe, Wilfred Mudavanhu’s maize field defies drought. With the El Niño-induced drought gripping several countries in ...