How to Build the Right Food System in Nigeria —AgriConnectX 2026

The AgriConnectX 2026 was one of the most remarkable events in Nigerian agriculture. The event succeeded not only because of its high-profile speakers and guests, but also because of the quality of the conversation and opportunities shared.

I was proud to see that youths made up about 70% of the attendance, and meeting up with some of my colleagues there left good memories.

It was an experience to hear the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, speak about how all aspects of the agricultural value chain must work together to create a system that addresses our unique food challenges as a country.

Nothing beats my surprise and total engrossment in the former CBN governor and current Emir of Kano, HRH Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s discourse on the role politics plays in Nigerian agriculture.

Aside from the usual conversations on familiar topics in the agricultural space, here are some talking points that stood out to me.

We All Must Come Together to Make Food Security a Reality

Growing food can be deceptively simple. You plant it. You harvest it. You sell it. Someone buys it. Someone eats it. However, somewhere between those five verbs is an entire economy.

There is the farmer who needs land and good inputs. The researcher who develops those inputs. The financial institution that must decide whether to finance the farmer. The insurer who has to price the risk of natural disasters. The transporter who moves the harvest. The warehouse that stores it. The processor that adds value to it. The trader who finds a market. The technology company that provides information. The policymaker whose decisions can either encourage all of this or make the economy collapse. And, at the very end, the consumer is just as important as producers because they reward the whole industry effort with their money. 

Understanding the interdependence of all these stakeholders was the defining idea of the summit’s theme “Bridging the Divide: Uniting Allies for Food Security and the Future of African Agriculture.”

Listening to the speakers, it was impossible to ignore the complexities of Nigeria's agricultural problems. It is not simply that we need more farmers, more money or more technology. Instead, too many stakeholders are still operating as if they belong to separate worlds.

Money is Not the Whole Solution

Capital was arguably the most mentioned word at the summit. However, the conversation went beyond the usual complaint that agriculture is underfunded. It explored the kind of capital Nigeria’s agriculture actually needs.

Conventional loans don’t always work for smallholder farmers. Agriculture is seasonal, and most farm revenue arrives after harvest, not at the end of every month, making it tricky for lenders to work conventionally.

Sterling Bank's head of agribusiness development, Vera Ebhohon, explained that one suggestion is to organise smallholder farmers into groups and cooperatives. This way, they can improve their collective capacity and productivity, and then structure financing around their cash-conversion cycles.

The adjustment solves the collateral problem and focuses on generating enough cash to repay loans through adequate support.

Dr Lekan Tobe, Country Director for Heifer International, described an even broader model. His organisation's experience with value-chain financing has shown that farmers need more than a loan. So, they package their financing solutions with inputs, technical training, extension services, aggregation and market access. Tobe explained that this differentiates financing a farmer from financing a functioning agricultural business.

What Happens When Risk Is Ignored?

Another reason agricultural finance is complicated is that many factors are beyond a farmer's control. Rain could fail, or flooding could occur, and the farmer can do little to prevent them. Pests could also destroy crops, and disease could spread.

Consider the swine fever that broke out in Ogun State in 2026, costing many pig farmers millions. Farmers who took loans can suddenly find themselves unable to repay.

On this note, Mr Ayoola Fatona, Leadway Assurance global head of agricultural risk, said the company had expanded agricultural insurance coverage and paid billions of naira in claims. He argued that insurance is particularly important for smallholder farmers exposed to climate and weather risks. 

Yet, Nigerian farmers view insurance as optional. At the beginning of a planting season, seeds and fertiliser feel more urgent. The value of insurance only becomes obvious after something goes wrong.

The panel's answer was to integrate insurance into agricultural finance rather than treat it as an extra. In some cases, partnerships have used pre-finance premiums for farmers who cannot afford them at the start of the season.

Getting Research Out of the Lab

Another recurring divide was between research and farmers. Former President Obasanjo pointed out that research institutions like the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have developed seeds with better yield capacities. Yet some of those varieties remain unknown to farmers.

He supplied a striking example from the tomato sector. Nigeria has large tomato-producing areas but insufficient processing capacity. Research institutions had tomato varieties suitable for processing, but regulatory restrictions made it difficult to take them to farmers.

The reflections shared at AgriConnectX 2026 revealed that every solution is connected. Nigeria’s agricultural transformation will only happen if these scattered potentials are connected into a completely functional system.