Nigeria’s agricultural sector is set for a major transformation as stakeholders convened in Abuja for the final validation of the Revised National Gender Policy in Agriculture and its Strategic Action Plan (2025-2030), a framework designed to ensure equity, inclusivity, and gender justice across the nation’s agrifood systems.
The event brought together key players from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, development partners, civil society organizations, farmer cooperatives, youth groups, and representatives of persons with disabilities.
Speaking during the validation session, Food System Specialist at ActionAid Nigeria, Mr Azubike Nwokoye, said the revised policy aims to promote gender equity and social justice in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
‘The essence of this workshop is to validate the revised National Gender Policy in Agriculture. We worked on this policy with several stakeholders to make sure there is gender justice in the agriculture sector, ensuring that everyone benefits equally across the value chain,’ Nwokoye explained.
He noted that the revision process included extensive consultations across the six geopolitical zones, drawing inputs from farmers, youth, women, people with disabilities, ministries, and development partners.
According to him, the new policy reflects emerging contextual realities in the agricultural landscape, addressing issues previously overlooked in the old policy.
‘For instance, the past policy did not distinguish adequately between the needs of young men and young women. It also didn’t cover gender-based violence in agrifood systems or define support for vulnerable groups within the value chain. Those are the gaps we’ve addressed in this revision,’ he said.
Nwokoye emphasised that the policy aligns with Nigeria’s National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) and other sectoral frameworks, positioning it as a key driver for inclusive agricultural growth.
He revealed that consultations with state governments had already led to commitments to create budget lines for implementing the gender policy in the 2026 fiscal year, a move he described as a positive step towards institutionalizing gender equity in agriculture.
‘At ActionAid Nigeria, we also track agricultural budgets and advocate for the inclusion of gender-sensitive allocations. Our goal is to ensure that the implementation of this policy translates into real, measurable progress for women, youth, and other marginalized groups’, he added.
Delivering a keynote address at the workshop, Director of Special Duties at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, who represented the Minister, described the validation as a culmination of extensive nationwide efforts that began in January 2025.
‘This milestone marks the culmination of a journey that started in Abuja and continued through all six geopolitical zones. Over 1,200 stakeholders, including smallholder women farmers, youth groups, and people with disabilities, contributed to this process’, the Director said.
She stressed that the policy would ensure equal participation, equitable allocation of resources, and targeted support for all categories of farmers, particularly women and youth who form the backbone of Nigeria’s agricultural workforce.
‘Agriculture employs over 30 million Nigerians, most of whom are women and youth. Yet, gender disparities, limited access to land, credit, and decision-making, have constrained productivity. This policy is our collective response to those challenges’, she noted.
She added that the revised policy, once endorsed by the National Council on Agriculture, would be domesticated at state and local levels, urging all stakeholders to ensure it becomes ‘a living guide that transforms lives, not a shelf document.’
The Director also called on government agencies to adopt gender-responsive budgeting and on development partners to align their investments with the policy’s priority areas, such as access to finance, technology, and markets for women and youth.
In his special remarks, Dr. Marcus O. Ogunbiyi, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, commended the collaborative efforts that made the revision possible.
‘This milestone marks a significant achievement in our collective efforts to promote gender equality and empower women, youth, and people with special needs in agriculture,’ Ogunbiyi said.
He commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its continued support of the agricultural sector. He acknowledged the role of the National Assembly, particularly its agricultural committees, in ensuring policy alignment with national priorities.
‘As we move forward, I urge all stakeholders to work together for the successful implementation of this policy. Let us harness our collective energy and expertise to build a more equitable and prosperous agricultural sector for all Nigerians,’ he added.
With the final validation concluded, the revised National Gender Policy in Agriculture (2025-2030) is now set for submission to the National Council on Agriculture for approval, paving the way for a new era of inclusive, gender-responsive agricultural development in Nigeria.