The Kaduna state government has reiterated its commitment to transforming agriculture through technology and strategic investments aimed at achieving all-year-round farming and boosting food security.
Speaking at the Kaduna Agritech Conference 2025, the state Commissioner of Agriculture, Murtala Dabo, said the event marked a crucial step towards reducing dependence on seasonal farming and ensuring continuous agricultural productivity.
The Commissioner noted that the theme of the conference, ‘All-Year-Round Agriculture’, was not just a concept but a commitment to reshaping the state’s agricultural landscape.
He revealed that the administration of Governor Uba Sani had made an unprecedented investment in the sector, allocating ₦74.02 billion for agriculture in the 2025 fiscal year, representing 9.4% of the total budget.
He said this was a significant leap from the ₦1.48 billion allocated in 2023, demonstrating the government’s resolve to support farmers and exceed international agricultural development targets.
The Commissioner said the government had launched a “Dry Season Agricultural Intervention Programme, providing farmers with free bags of fertilizers, solar-powered water pumps, power tillers, and motorized knapsack sprayers to reduce reliance on rain-fed farming. He described these inputs as tools of empowerment that would enhance productivity and boost farmers’ incomes.”
Dabo acknowledged the challenges facing the sector but maintained that with innovation, strong partnerships, and sustained commitment, agriculture in Kaduna state would become a pillar of economic growth.
He emphasised that the government was working to improve the ease of doing business in agriculture to attract both local and international investors, while also collaborating with development partners to align farming practices with global best standards.
At the second day of the conference, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Business, Innovation, and Technology, Mrs. Patience Fakai, also reaffirmed the state government’s determination to integrate technology into agriculture and agribusiness.
She noted that Kaduna state, as the highest producer of maize in Africa and the home of the world’s best ginger variety, still had untapped potential that could be harnessed through innovation.
She explained that the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Technology was established to drive commerce, technology, and tourism towards economic growth.
She highlighted the state’s past collaborations with Greysoft Technologies and other private sector players, emphasizing the government’s openness to working with partners who could add value to Kaduna’s economic development.
The Managing Director of Greysoft Technologies, Isah Rafael, also highlighted key takeaways from the conference, stressing that modernizing agriculture would require attracting young people into the sector through technology-driven solutions.
He noted that youths would not return to traditional farming using hoes and cutlasses but would embrace agriculture if integrated with innovation.
“You can see a lot of young people here today because we are talking about technology. What excites us is that as ideas begin to form among young people in the agricultural sector, we are also partnering with organizations like AGRA and Founder Institute to turn these ideas into startups and secure further funding for them,” Rafael said.
He revealed that from an initial pool of 500 applicants, 50 participants were selected for a two-week incubation training, which was further narrowed down to 10 startups. These finalists are now competing at the Agritech Conference for a ₦2 million grant to scale their businesses.
“The top three startups will also be incubated with the Founder Institute and trained on how to become investment-ready. But for the first day of the conference, discussions focused on food security and the role of technology in agriculture. The key message is that without fusing technology into agriculture, venture capital funding will remain scarce,” he added.
He cited Kenya as an example, noting that the country had successfully attracted venture capital funding into its agricultural sector, leading to a surge in foreign direct investment. According to him, Kaduna is now taking the lead in replicating this model in Nigeria.
The Kaduna Agritech Conference 2025 brought together government officials, farmers, tech innovators, investors, and development partners to explore ways of leveraging technology to enhance food production and economic growth in the state.