In a strategic bid to tackle the high rate of agricultural equipment downtime and scale up local productivity, the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has graduated the pilot cohort of 250 participants under the National Agricultural Mechanisation Service Providers (NAMSP) Training Program.
The 10-day intensive program executed in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, AGCOMS, and key private-sector stakeholders serves as the opening phase of a broader federal initiative aimed at training 4,000 tractor drivers and mechanics nationwide.
The curriculum spanned tractor operation, equipment management, basic troubleshooting, enterprise development, and occupational safety, addressing critical technical capacity gaps that have historically undermined agricultural asset performance in Nigeria.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony on Thursday, Mohammed Ibrahim, Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NADF, represented by Ernest Ihedigbo, Fund’s General Manager, Technical, emphasised that sustainable mechanisation relies on long-term operational viability rather than mere asset acquisition.
Ibrahim said the programme was designed not only to train machinery operators and service providers but also to build the skills, systems and maintenance culture required to sustain agricultural productivity and strengthen Nigeria’s food and nutrition security.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for positioning agriculture as a key driver of food security, economic diversification, job creation and national prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He also commended the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, for his leadership in advancing reforms and partnerships aimed at strengthening agricultural value chains and improving farmers’ livelihoods.
According to him, the participants drawn from the six geopolitical zones underwent intensive training in agricultural mechanisation service delivery, machinery and equipment management, occupational safety, enterprise development, sustainable maintenance, environmental conservation and Environmental Sustainability.
‘Beyond technical skills, the programme has strengthened professionalism, enterprise mindset and operational discipline required to sustain an efficient mechanisation ecosystem,’ he said.
The NADF boss said the pilot cohort consisted of 250 trainees, adding that their certification by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) would qualify them for inclusion in a national database of proficient mechanisation service providers being developed by NADF.
He said the database would support long-term public and private-sector investments in agricultural machinery and implements and potentially enable certified service providers to be entrusted with multimillion-naira agricultural assets.
Ibrahim, however, stressed that sustainable mechanisation should not be measured by the number of tractors and other machines acquired but by the ability to keep them operational, productive and economically viable.
He noted that previous investments in agricultural mechanisation had sometimes failed to deliver their full value because of inadequate technical capacity, maintenance systems and accountability.
‘The future of agricultural mechanisation in Nigeria depends not only on acquiring machines, but on sustaining them through technical competence, accountability, and responsible asset and environmental stewardship,’ he said.
He said the NAMSP training was part of NADF’s broader interventions to address constraints across agricultural value chains, alongside the Farm Input Support Programme, which he said supports 109,000 smallholder farmers, and the Grassroots Digital Extension Corps initiative, which has trained 1,884 extension agents and food security specialists nationwide.
He added that NADF was also strengthening agricultural research institutions through investments in modern laboratories, digital extension infrastructure, biotechnology facilities, renewable energy systems, irrigation infrastructure and innovation platforms.
The NADF chief executive urged mechanisation associations and State Agricultural Development Projects to prioritise the recruitment and training of young people and women, particularly against the backdrop of rural-urban migration and the ageing farming population.
He said the graduates represented a new generation of skilled practitioners capable of improving machinery utilisation, reducing downtime, expanding access to mechanisation and protecting public and private investments in agricultural assets.
He called on the graduates to become ambassadors of professionalism, accountability and sustainability in Nigeria’s agricultural mechanisation ecosystem.
‘Let your work increase productivity, expand access to mechanisation, preserve national investments, and accelerate Nigeria’s agricultural prosperity,’ Ibrahim noted.
Also speaking, Abdullahi Mohammed, National President of the Tractor Owners and Hiring Facilities Association of Nigeria (TOHFAN), commended NADF for bringing together 250 participants from different parts of the country for the training.
Mohammed said tractor operators, mechanics and service providers required continuous training to ensure that machines deployed to farms remained productive and sustainable.
He said while machinery vendors and manufacturers often provide initial training, their presence could not be guaranteed in every location where tractors operate.
‘We need much of this training. The service provider wants training, the operator and the mechanic also need this type of training,’ he said.
He appealed for continued collaboration between NADF, machinery manufacturers, vendors and service providers, as well as government support to make agricultural machinery more affordable.
Mohammed also said the training had helped unite tractor operators from different organisations and parts of Nigeria under a common platform.
In his remarks,Hayatu Tambuwal, Director of Training at the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), said the ITF was pleased with the outcome of the programme and had monitored the training from its commencement to the closing ceremony.
Tambuwal said the agency’s role was to evaluate the programme and provide certification, adding that its officials observed positive attitudes and evidence that learning had taken place among the participants.
He urged NADF to sustain its partnership with ITF and expand the training to other parts of the country, stressing that such programmes would require adequate funding and resources.