By Omoyeni Ojeifo
ActionAid Nigeria has called for urgent reforms in the implementation of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme–Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) Wheat Intervention Programme, citing gaps between policy objectives and on-the- ground realities affecting farmers across the country.
The organisation made the call during a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, where it presented findings from an independent assessment of the programme covering the 2023/24 and 2024/25 dry season farming cycles.
Persecondnews correspondent at the briefing, reports that the Country Deputy Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Hajiya Suwaiba Muhammad Dankabo said the assessment was necessary to test official programme claims against the lived experiences of farmers.
She explained that Nigeria currently imports about 90 percent of its wheat requirements, spending billions of dollars annually in foreign exchange, while domestic production remains insufficient to meet national demand.
Dankabo noted, that it is against this backdrop, the NAGS-AP intervention, funded by the African Development Bank to the tune of $134 million, was designed to boost local wheat production, and expand dry season farming.
Tunde Salman, Consultant Researcher, who carried out the research, said the assessment was commissioned to move beyond official reports.
“The objective was to move beyond official reports and provide a rigorous diagnosis of the systemic processes affecting implementation.”
Salman explained that Nigeria continues to face a production deficit, leaving the country heavily dependent on imports and exposed to external supply chain shocks.
“We found a clear gap between programme design and implementation outcomes, with delays in input delivery and targeted inefficiencies affecting overall performance,”he added.
He noted that the assessment covered selected northern and southern states using a mixed-methods approach, including focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and field verification exercises.
According to Salman, the challenges identified are systemic rather than isolated, cutting across multiple states and implementation structures.
ActionAid Nigeria said the recommendations suggested the need for urgent policy and operational reforms to improve efficiency, transparency and farmer inclusion.
It said: “We are recommending gender-sensitive agricultural financing mechanisms to ensure equitable access for women, youth and vulnerable groups.
“We are also calling for strict enforcement of seed delivery timelines, improved access to redemption centres, and publication of verified beneficiary lists supported by digital tracking systems.”
It further called for investigations into alleged corrupt practices, including input diversion and distribution of substandard agrochemicals, and recommended sanctions for any agro-dealers found culpable.
The organisation also advocated stronger support for state Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs), including recruitment and training of extension agents, with emphasis on female extension workers, to improve grassroots agricultural support.
ActionAid Nigeria urged the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the NAGS-AP Secretariat, the African Development Bank and other stakeholders to act on the recommendations without delay, stressing that smallholder farmers deserve a more efficient and transparent system.
Persecondnews also reports that the briefing was attended by stakeholders including the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Community of Agriculture Non-State Actors (COANSA), Small Scale Women Farmers Organization (SWOFON) and development partners.