By Kngsley Benson
Nigeria’s drive to build a more productive and resilient agricultural sector is gaining a renewed policy push as the federal government seeks the speedy passage of legislation to overhaul the country’s agricultural extension system.
Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator (Sen.) Abubakar Kyari, has urged the National Assembly to accelerate consideration of the proposed Agricultural Extension Services Revitalisation Bill, describing the legislation as critical to improving farm productivity and strengthening Nigeria’s agri-food system.
Sen. Kyari made the call while speaking with Nigerian journalists covering the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS) in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Honourable Minister said discussions at the continental forum closely reflected Nigeria’s agricultural priorities, particularly the need to move farmers beyond subsistence production towards a more productive and competitive agribusiness system.
The 20th AFS, held under the theme, ‘Investing in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience,’ brought together stakeholders around food security, employment, climate resilience, investment and inclusive agricultural development.
For Sen. Kyari, these priorities reinforce the need to strengthen the system through which farmers access technical knowledge, improved technologies, markets and other productive resources.
He said agricultural extension remains a critical link between research, innovation and farmers, making its revitalisation essential to raising productivity and achieving food sufficiency.
The proposed legislation, according to the Honourable Minister, would provide a stronger institutional framework for modernising extension services and making them more responsive to the needs of farmers.
Sen. Kyari disclosed that the bill has already passed first reading in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and called on lawmakers to give it urgent attention.
“It is important to invest in agri-food systems, include women, youth and persons with disabilities, build climate resilience, and provide opportunities for finance and markets through a professional extension service,” he said.
The Honourable Minister noted that strengthening extension services has remained one of his priorities since assuming office, reflecting the administration’s broader focus on improving agricultural production and food security.
The issues discussed at AFS 2026, he said, also demonstrate the areas that the proposed legislation needs to address. These include technology adoption, improved seed systems, climate-smart agriculture, digital transformation and better data management.
He also stressed the importance of closer cooperation among farmers, researchers, development partners, financial institutions and the private sector.
The call builds on an earlier position taken by Kyari at the 9th Africa Agriculture Science Week in Abuja in July 2025, where he advocated stronger collaboration among government, research institutions, development partners, farmers and private-sector actors as a pathway to transforming Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Stakeholder support for the proposed legislation is also emerging. The Founder and Global Advocate of the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) and Head of the WOFAN-ICON2 Project, Hajia Salamatu Garba, said her organisation supports the bill and is among its co-sponsors.
Garba said WOFAN has been working with stakeholders, private-sector partners and farmers’ clusters to strengthen agricultural extension services across the country.
She noted that the priorities highlighted at AFS 2026 closely corresponded with the objectives of the proposed legislation. These include greater investment in agri-food systems, youth empowerment and entrepreneurship, women’s participation, climate resilience and sustainable agriculture.
According to Garba, the bill has passed its initial stages in both chambers of the National Assembly, although public hearing and other legislative processes remain outstanding.
The proposed law comes at a crucial point for Nigeria’s agricultural sector. With pressure to increase food production, create jobs and make farming more commercially viable, the effectiveness of extension services could determine how quickly farmers adopt better production methods and gain access to emerging opportunities. A stronger extension system could also help narrow the gap between agricultural research and what happens on farms.
