News
Agriculture and its Potentials for Nigeria’s Economic Diversification
By Diana Tenebe, Chief Operating Officer, Foodstuff Store
Nigeria is a nation that is blessed with arable land and a teeming youthful population. For so long the nation has been tied to the fortunes of crude oil. Oil revenues have dominated the sustenance of economic development. The overall annual GDP growth for Nigeria in 2024 is reported at 3.40%.
The oil sector’s contribution to real GDP in Q4 2024 was 4.60%, with an annual growth rate of 5.54%. The agriculture sector contributed 24.64% to real GDP in Q4 2024, and 20.97% to aggregate nominal GDP for the full year, though its growth was more modest at 1.2% to 1.76% across different quarters. The non-oil sector, which includes agriculture, contributed a substantial 95.40% to real GDP in Q4 2024, indicating a decreasing reliance on oil as the main economic driver.
Nigeria’s economy is primarily driven by its non-oil sectors, with agriculture serving as a significant foundation, even with its ongoing productivity and security hurdles. There’s optimism that agriculture could spearhead the nation’s economic diversification in the future, especially if it’s strategically developed to generate foreign exchange and government revenue.
Agriculture was the bedrock of the Nigerian economy before the oil boom. Agriculture was the undisputed mainstay of Nigeria’s economy, contributing over 60% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing more than 70% of the population. Regions specialised in cashcrops like cocoa, palm oil, groundnuts, and rubber making Nigeria a significant global exporter. The revenue generated from these agricultural activities fueled infrastructural development, education and social amenities across the country. The oil boom in the 1970s led to a neglect of the agricultural sector and fostered an over-reliance on petrodollars and invariably led to the stifling of the development of a diversified economy.
Just weeks into office in July 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a national emergency on food security, signaling a commitment to transforming agriculture into a modern, productive, and resilient engine of growth. Key initiatives include the immediate release of fertilizers and grains from national strategic reserves, a harmonisation of efforts between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to enable all-season farming through expanded irrigation, and the proposed establishment of a National Commodity Board to stabilize food prices and strengthen reserves. The administration of President Bola Tinubu has embarked on significant reforms to position agriculture as an economic tool to drive diversification. The efforts are constantly challenged by the pervasive violence of bandits on Nigeria farmers.
One of the flagship programs is the Agro-Pocket Initiative under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme, targeting the cultivation of 750,000 hectares for staple crops like rice, maize, wheat, and cassava, providing targeted support and input vouchers to farmers. To cushion the effects of inflation, the administration also announced a 150-day suspension of duties and tariffs on essential food imports and facilitated the import of significant quantities of maize and wheat for small-scale processors. Furthermore, a new National Agricultural Extension Policy aims to deliver demand-driven, ICT-enabled, and market-oriented extension services, moving away from outdated methods.
The ambitious agricultural agenda faces a formidable adversary: widespread banditry and insecurity. Across various regions, particularly in the food-producing states, farmers are increasingly subjected to violent attacks, kidnappings, and extortion. These acts of violence have devastating consequences, forcing many farmers to abandon their farmlands, reducing cultivated areas, and disrupting the entire agricultural value chain. The fear of attack not only deters new investments but also jeopardizes the livelihoods of existing farmers, leading to reduced agricultural output and escalating food prices. The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) recently highlighted that “No Farmer, No Food: Attacks on Farmers Fuel Nigeria’s Hunger Crisis,” underscoring the direct link between insecurity and food insecurity.
The Tinubu administration acknowledges this critical challenge. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has reiterated the government’s commitment to returning displaced farmers to their communities and farms, emphasizing that sustainable peace cannot be achieved through kinetic responses alone. There’s a recognition that addressing the root causes of violent extremism, such as poverty and lack of opportunity, through inclusive, whole-of-government, and whole-of-society solutions, including integrated agricultural approaches, is crucial. The approval of Forest Guards is also seen as a transformative measure to enhance security for farmers.
Beyond the immediate crisis of insecurity, Nigeria’s agricultural sector still grapples with a myriad of systemic challenges. These include poor access to finance, with many farmers relying on informal lenders at exorbitant rates; high production costs, exacerbated by fuel subsidy removal; inadequate infrastructure, leading to significant post-harvest losses; and the impacts of climate change, such as erratic rainfall patterns and floods. Experts advocate for sustained investment in agricultural infrastructure, including irrigation systems, storage facilities, and rural road networks, to reduce post-harvest losses and improve market access.
Despite these hurdles, the potential for agriculture to drive Nigeria’s economic diversification remains immense. By focusing on value addition through agro-processing, leveraging modern agricultural technology (precision farming, irrigation, biotechnology, satellite imagery for yield prediction), diversifying crop production beyond traditional cash crops to include high-demand items, and investing in livestock and aquaculture, Nigeria can unlock significant economic growth. Public-private partnerships and accessible financial solutions, coupled with robust policy reforms, are vital to support smallholder farmers and attract necessary investments.
The journey beyond oil will be long and arduous, but agriculture offers Nigeria a tangible and sustainable path to economic resilience. President Tinubu’s reforms demonstrate a clear intent, but their success hinges on the government’s ability to effectively tackle the escalating violence against farmers. Without a secure environment, the seeds of diversification will struggle to take root, and the promise of a thriving agricultural sector will remain elusive. Only when farmers can work their lands in peace will agriculture truly become the robust engine Nigeria needs to diversify its economy and secure a prosperous future for its citizens.
In a striking moment of global recognition for African talent in artificial intelligence, Shenzhen-based Nigerian technologist, Francis Okafor has emerged as the second-place winner at the 2026 Tencent OpenClaw Hackathon, a fiercely contested competition hosted by Chinese tech giant Tencent.
The achievement places the Nigerian engineer among the top innovators in one of the world’s most competitive technology hubs, Shenzhen, often described as China’s Silicon Valley.
Okafor’s journey to the podium was anything but scripted. Walking into Tencent’s facility on the day of the contest, he found a room already buzzing with elite programmers deep in preparation.
“Laptops open. Heads down. Some people setting up their system before the challenges even dropped,” he recalled, contrasting the scene with his own uncertainty at that moment. “And then there is me — a Nigerian looking around like, okay Francis, what exactly are you doing here?”
Rather than confidence, his first reaction was raw nerves. “I won’t lie, I had goose bumps. Not the inspirational kind,” he admitted, describing a quiet internal debate about whether he had wandered into territory far beyond his league. Yet that hesitation quickly gave way to experimentation, a hallmark of the hackathon spirit.
Earlier that same week, Tencent had rolled out OpenClaw integration into WeChat (known domestically as Weixin), exposing its massive user base to AI agent capabilities.
Okafor, a senior technology lead, artificial intelligence advocate, and global community organiser, had already been stress-testing the system and decided, on the spot, to build his entry around it. “I had been pushing it hard all week just to see what it could do… so when the challenges dropped I thought, you know what, let me use this thing as my weapon.”
That decision proved decisive. Competing against some of the most accomplished engineers in China’s hyper-competitive tech ecosystem, Okafor’s solution stood out for both ingenuity and execution. “It went far enough apparently,” he said with understated pride after securing second place.
Remarkably, he had entered without a grand plan. “I didn’t go in with a strategy. I went in for the thrill of it… Honestly I thought I would learn a few things and go home with a good story.” Instead, he left with a trophy, and a narrative that has resonated far beyond the competition hall.
Beyond personal triumph, Okafor emphasized the broader technological significance of the moment. Tencent released the WeChat OpenClaw plugin on the very morning of the event, effectively putting advanced AI agent tools into the hands of an estimated 1.4 billion users.
In his view, this signals a profound shift in how artificial intelligence will reach the public. The company, he observed, is “not just making AI accessible to developers… they are bridging it to everyone,” while using hackathons to identify innovators capable of pushing the technology forward, regardless of origin.
Okafor was acutely aware of his uniqueness in the room. “I was definitely the only African there and for sure stood out,” he noted. Yet what mattered was not nationality but capability. “Nobody cared about where I was from. They cared about what I built.”
His message to aspiring technologists, particularly those from underrepresented regions, is both simple and powerful: show up. “Enter things you think you have no business entering,” he urged. “The worst case is you learn something. The best case is you shock yourself.”
In an industry often defined by geography, capital, and institutional advantage, Okafor’s victory offers a compelling counter-narrative. Talent, preparation, and courage can still disrupt expectations, even in rooms that seem designed for someone else.
As he concluded in a line that has since captured widespread attention: Black excellence, he said, “doesn’t need a geography.”
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to deepen collaboration and provide faster operational support in Enugu State.
Zonal Director of the EFCC Enugu Zonal Directorate, Commander Daniel Isei, made the call during a courtesy visit to the CBN Branch Controller in Enugu, Mr Otutubuike Justice Agbaeze, on Tuesday.
The engagement forms part of ongoing efforts to boost inter-agency ties, enhance financial sector accountability, and fortify anti-money laundering initiatives nationwide.
Isei described the CBN as “our most critical partner in the fight against economic and financial crimes,” highlighting years of joint operations and the bank’s role in securing recovered assets.
“The CBN naturally stands out as one of our most critical partners… it serves as a secure repository for valuables recovered by the EFCC and it has greatly enhanced our operations,” he stated.
While commending past cooperation, Isei appealed for quicker responses to the EFCC’s frequent investigative requests from its Enugu office.
“We understand that these requests may be demanding, but timely responses are crucial, as time is of the essence in financial investigations. We therefore seek your continued indulgence in ensuring that our letters receive expeditious attention,” he added.
In response, Agbaeze reaffirmed CBN’s dedication to the partnership, pledging expert support and improved synergy “in the interest of financial system stability and national development.”
As smart devices with artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and always-on services become part of everyday life, the cybersecurity habits many people formed a few years ago may no longer be enough.
From AI-powered scams to social media trends that encourage users to upload personal details, the way people interact online is changing quickly. Ensuring that you stay secure now requires small, deliberate actions in your daily digital behaviour. Experts from Kaspersky, a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company, share the below advice to stay safe online.
- Be cautious with verification requests. Many scams now mimic legitimate verification processes, asking users to confirm accounts, update payment details, or approve login attempts. Because people are used to frequent security prompts, it is easy to respond automatically. Pause before sharing verification codes or personal information and independently verify requests through official websites or by contacting service providers directly.
- Cultivate healthy AI usage habits. AI agents, chatbots and multimedia-generating apps can be convenient and entertaining, but uploading high-resolution photos or personal information carries privacy implications. Facial images can function as biometric identifiers, and once shared with an online service, be it AI or a social network, control over how that data is stored or reused may be limited. Before using AI tools, review privacy policies, minimise the personal information they provide, and avoid uploading sensitive documents or confidential content.
- Do your homework on AI. For parents, the rise of AI assistants introduces another dimension. While AI tools can help in making education interactive and gamified, children may turn to AI tools for homework support or entertainment without fully understanding how their data is used or how to evaluate responses critically.
Open conversations about responsible AI use, privacy awareness, and the importance of not oversharing personal information can help children build safe digital habits from an early age.
- Audit your online subscriptions. Reducing digital exposure is another simple but often overlooked step. Over time, unused subscriptions, dormant accounts, and forgotten apps accumulate personal data and payment details. Regularly reviewing subscriptions, deleting unused accounts, and checking which apps have access to personal information can significantly reduce risks of this data being leaked.
- Secure your devices and home. Device longevity and smart home security also play an important role. Older devices that no longer receive security updates may contain unpatched vulnerabilities.
Ensure that smartphones, laptops, routers, and smart home devices are running the latest firmware and are protected with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication. Changing default passwords on connected devices and securing home Wi-Fi networks are essential steps in protecting both personal data and physical spaces.
As technology and AI becomes more integrated into daily life, security is less about dramatic measures and more about consistent, informed habits.
“Technology evolves quickly, and our online behaviour should keep pace,” says Brandon Muller, Technical Expert for the Middle East and Africa region at Kaspersky. “Take time to review privacy settings, app permissions, and connected third-party services, removing anything that is no longer needed. By being more deliberate about what we share, how we verify requests, and how we manage our devices, we can significantly reduce exposure to modern cyber risks while enjoying all the benefits of new technologies.”
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