The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has flagged off the National Agricultural Mechanisation Service Providers Training Programme for 4000 trainees.

The training said to have drawn participants from the six geopolitical zones of the country is
being implemented in partnership with John Deere representatives- AGCOMS, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS).

Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, who was
represented by the Fund’s General Manager, Technical, Ernest Ihedigbo, at the first cohort of 250 trainees, at Gora Nasarawa State recently, said the initiative was a strategic investment in human capital needed to modernise Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

He disclosed that training initiative aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to reposition agriculture as a major driver of food security, employment, economic diversification and inclusive growth.

According to him, despite Nigeria’s vast agricultural potential, productivity remains constrained by low levels of mechanisation, inadequate technical capacity and limited access to modern farming technologies.

He said the training programme would address the shortage of skilled mechanisation service providers while complementing the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to expand access to tractors and other agricultural machinery.

“The effectiveness and sustainability of any mechanisation programme ultimately depend on the quality of the people responsible for operating, maintaining, managing and commercialising the technologies upon which it relies,” he said.

Representing the ITF, Training Manager of the Model Skills Training Centre, Fatima Baidu, said food security could no longer depend on manual labour alone but required modern technology operated by competent personnel.

She said trainees would receive practical instruction in precision field operations, preventive maintenance and safety protocols, enabling them to become certified professionals capable of driving agricultural productivity.

Chief Operating Officer of AGCOMS International Trading Company Limited, Sadiq Halilu, encouraged participants to actively engage in the training sessions by asking questions and sharing experiences to maximise learning outcomes.

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