The Federal Government has commenced the rollout of more than 2,000 tractors and heavy-duty equipment to mechanised farmers under the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) leading implementation and support from Heifer International. The initiative, witnessed by the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), is designed to lift farm productivity and reinforce national food security through structured access to modern equipment.
Speaking at the event, the BOA Managing Director, Ayodeji Sontirin, said the programme was built to outlast one-off interventions. He described it as a systems-driven effort anchored on financial discipline, inclusive participation and digital accountability. “NAMP is more than tractor distribution. It is a commitment to building systems that endure, generate value and serve the millions of smallholder farmers who feed the nation,” he said, urging beneficiaries to treat the equipment as a national trust. Mr Sontirin added that the Federal Government was working through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and NADF to procure tractors from John Deere, describing the arrangement as central to the President’s National Agricultural Mechanisation Plan.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, said demand for mechanisation was evident, with more than 100,000 applications received in the first phase. He clarified that the tractors were not for private ownership but would be deployed through regulated Mechanisation Service Providers under lease-based models. “These tractors are entrusted to service providers to support farmers, not for private ownership,” he said, adding that each unit could service about 600 hectares annually and that many providers were youth- and women-led enterprises supported by structured financing.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, said sustainable mechanisation must be underpinned by collaboration across public and private institutions. “Sustainable mechanisation should be that mechanisation that is supported by strong partnerships between government institutions, financial institutions, development partners, mechanisation agencies and private sector-led mechanisation experts. This is the mantra of the national agricultural mechanisation programme, and this is the trust that we all intend to follow within this policy,” he said.
