The Federal Government has graduated the first batch of agricultural mechanisation service providers under a nationwide programme aimed at building a pool of skilled tractor operators and mechanics to support Nigeria’s drive towards increased food production.
The 10-day National Agricultural Mechanisation Service Providers (NAMSP) Training Programme, organised by the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, AGCOMS and other public and private-sector partners, brought together about 250 participants from across the country.
The initiative is expected to ultimately train 4,000 tractor operators and mechanics in machinery operation, maintenance, occupational safety, enterprise development and sustainable mechanisation service delivery.
Speaking at the closing ceremony in Gora, Nasarawa State, on Thursday, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, said the initiative was designed to address one of the major challenges confronting agricultural mechanisation in Nigeria, the shortage of skilled personnel capable of operating and maintaining farm machinery.
Ibrahim, who was represented by the Fund’s General Manager, Technical, Ernest Ihedigbo, said increasing the number of tractors and other agricultural equipment would have limited impact without developing the technical expertise and maintenance culture required to keep the machines productive.
He said the graduation represented an important milestone in the Federal Government’s efforts to modernise agriculture through mechanisation, innovation and human capital development.
He noted that the programme goes beyond training machinery operators, as it seeks to develop the skills, systems and professional culture required to sustain agricultural productivity and strengthen food and nutrition security.
He said participants drawn from the six geopolitical zones received intensive training in agricultural mechanisation service delivery, machinery and equipment management, occupational safety, enterprise development, sustainable maintenance and environmental conservation.
‘Beyond technical skills, the programme has strengthened professionalism, enterprise mindset and operational discipline required to sustain an efficient mechanisation ecosystem,’ Ibrahim said.
He explained that the pilot cohort comprised about 232 trainees, who would be certified by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and subsequently considered for inclusion in a national database of proficient mechanisation service providers being developed by NADF.
The database, he said, would provide a pool of trained professionals that could support public and private investments in agricultural machinery, with certified operators potentially entrusted with agricultural assets worth millions of naira.
Ibrahim stressed that the success of agricultural mechanisation should not be judged merely by the number of tractors and machines procured but by how effectively such equipment is operated, maintained and kept economically viable.
He noted that previous investments in mechanisation had sometimes failed to achieve their full potential because of inadequate technical capacity, weak maintenance systems and poor 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.
The NADF boss commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for placing agriculture at the centre of the administration’s food security, economic diversification, employment and national prosperity agenda.
He also praised the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, for driving reforms and partnerships targeted at strengthening agricultural value chains and improving farmers’ livelihoods.
Ibrahim said the NAMSP programme formed part of NADF’s wider interventions to tackle constraints across agricultural value chains.
He said the Fund’s Farm Input Support Programme was supporting about 109,000 smallholder farmers, while its Grassroots Digital Extension Corps initiative had trained 1,884 extension agents and food security specialists across the country.
He added that NADF was strengthening agricultural research institutions through investments in modern laboratories, biotechnology facilities, digital extension infrastructure, renewable energy systems, irrigation facilities and innovation platforms.
Ibrahim urged mechanisation associations and State Agricultural Development Projects to increase the recruitment and training of young people and women, particularly as rural-urban migration and an ageing farming population continue to affect the agricultural sector.
He described the graduates as a new generation of skilled mechanisation practitioners who could improve machinery utilisation, reduce equipment downtime, expand farmers’ access to mechanisation services and safeguard investments in agricultural assets.
‘Let your work increase productivity, expand access to mechanisation, preserve national investments, and accelerate Nigeria’s agricultural prosperity,’ he told the graduates.
Tractor owners seek sustained training
National President of the Tractor Owners and Hiring Facilities Association of Nigeria (TOHFAN), Abdullahi Mohammed, commended NADF for bringing participants from different parts of the country together for the programme.
Mohammed said continuous capacity building for tractor operators, mechanics and service providers was necessary to ensure that agricultural machinery remained productive throughout its lifespan.
He explained that although machinery manufacturers and vendors often provide initial training, they may not always be available in communities where tractors and other equipment are eventually deployed.
‘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 called for sustained collaboration among NADF, machinery manufacturers, vendors and mechanisation service providers, while appealing for government interventions that would make agricultural machinery more affordable.
Mohammed said the programme had also provided an opportunity to bring tractor operators from different associations and parts of the country under a common platform.
Director of Training at the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Hayatu Tambuwal, said the agency was satisfied with the outcome of the programme after monitoring the exercise from commencement to completion.
Tambuwal said ITF’s responsibility was to evaluate the training and provide certification, adding that officials observed positive attitudes among participants and evidence that the required learning had taken place.
He urged NADF to sustain its partnership with the ITF and expand the programme to other parts of the country, noting that adequate funding and resources would be required to achieve the desired scale.
Speaking on behalf of Women in Mechanised Agriculture (WIMA), one of the beneficiaries, Akuhwa Sewuese Michelle, said the training equipped participants with practical skills in tractor operation, safety, maintenance, servicing, basic troubleshooting and the use of agricultural implements.
Michelle said the programme had increased the confidence of participating women and demonstrated that they could play significant roles in Nigeria’s mechanisation industry.
‘We are not only here to learn; we are here to take these skills back to our communities and contribute to increased agricultural productivity, food security, employment and economic empowerment,’ she said.
She pledged that WIMA members would continue to improve their skills, comply with safety standards, properly maintain equipment entrusted to them and transfer their knowledge to other women and young people seeking opportunities in agricultural mechanisation.