We’re Collaborating To Accelerate Food Production, Ensure Sufficiency – NADF Executive Secretary

Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Development Fund, Dr. Garzali Mohammed

By Miriam Humbe

The new and pioneer Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund, (NADF), Dr. Garzali Mohammed has assured of the Agency’s intention to collaborate with other agencies to accelerate food production and ensure food sufficiency in Nigeria.

Dr. Mohammed said this in an exclusive chat with Humsimedia online during the weekend.

To achieve this, he said that his Agency would reach out to all stakeholders within the sector.

Dr. Garzali Mohammed said: “My plan is to reach out to both large and small farmers so that we can achieve greater productivity in Nigeria in terms of agricultural value chain.”

The Mandate:

The NADF Executive Secretary said: “The mandate of the Agency is to provide financial and technical support to farmers to be able to achieve food security which is the target of the Federal Government at the moment.

“The other mandate of the Agency is providing grants to research institutes and also providing support to farmers to make them well equipped and well empowered to produce optimally.”

The Business Environment:

He said: “Its a new Agency. We’re setting up a new structure, we’re creating the business process, we’re starting off the Agency from the scratch.

“So I believe within a very short period, the Agency will be fully on board, we’ll begin to impact on the real farmers to be able to contribute to the development of the country.”

Agricultural Economist:

Dr. Mohammed said: “As an Economist, my area of Economics is actually focused on Agricultural value chain. Most of my researches revolves around Agricultural value chain.

“If you look at where I worked before now, I worked in Development Finance of Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) where I handled specifically, the Agric related programs.

“I worked in Guarantee Trust Bank as a Credit Analyst especially around Agricultural Credit.

“I also worked in NIRSAL Microfinance Bank where I specifically handled Agriculture related programs. (NIRSAL is an acronym for Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing system for Agricultural Lending.)

“So I have vast experience around Agric value chain. Translating my background as an Economist into Agriculture is very easy for me.

“Infact, the work of the Agency (NADF) is more or less of Agric finance which I have vast knowledge on. I believe can do a lot in transforming the Agric value chain through my previous experience”.

Legislative, Presidential Backing:

On July 27, 2022, both chambers of the National Assembly approved the setting up of the National Agricultural Development Fund.

In December 2022, then President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law, the National Agricultural Development Fund Bill.

The NADF was established as a financial intervention institution to support strategic aspects of the Agricultural sector’s development towards meeting up with the inadequate funding of the sector.