The Federal Government has unveiled plans to provide financing of up to N2bn each to 40 tertiary institutions to establish commercial farms, boost food production and create employment opportunities.
The initiative, known as the Renewed Hope Tertiary Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Programme, is also designed to help universities, polytechnics and colleges of education generate revenue and reduce their dependence on government funding.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed the plan during a meeting with heads of selected institutions and officials of the Bank of Agriculture to discuss the programme’s implementation.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, the initiative aims to mobilise more than 500,000 hectares of underutilised land across tertiary institutions for commercial farming, agricultural research and enterprise development.
Alausa said participating institutions would be expected to make available about 1,000 hectares each, although institutions with smaller landholdings could qualify if they presented viable business proposals.
Under the arrangement, each institution will establish a limited liability company to partner with the Bank of Agriculture, which will provide between N1bn and N2bn to support agricultural production and the purchase of necessary inputs.
The minister said the programme would address the long-standing underuse of agricultural land in tertiary institutions by providing access to finance, machinery, technical expertise and institutional support.
He added that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund had previously approved N1bn for some institutions and N2bn for others under related interventions.
Alausa also disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education had earmarked N20bn in its capital budget to support 20 tertiary institutions under the agricultural development initiative.
On farm mechanisation, he said participating institutions would have access to 10 tractors each at substantially reduced costs through the government’s agricultural mechanisation programme.
The support package will also include improved seedlings, farm implements, irrigation facilities, water pumps, fertilisers and technical assistance to enhance productivity.
To ensure that farmers have access to markets, the government plans to work with produce aggregators to purchase harvested crops and introduce measures to reduce post-harvest losses.
The initiative will extend beyond crop production to processing and other agro-allied businesses, with the aim of developing a sustainable agricultural value chain around the institutions.
Alausa said students, unemployed graduates, alumni, academic and non-academic staff, as well as members of host communities, would be encouraged to participate in the farming activities under the supervision of lecturers and agricultural specialists.
He said the programme would provide students with practical agricultural skills, encourage entrepreneurship and allow participants to benefit from the revenue generated by the farms.
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The minister projected that the initiative could attract investments worth trillions of naira in the coming years and reposition tertiary institutions as centres of agricultural innovation, commercial production and enterprise development.
The programme comes amid continuing food security challenges in Nigeria. The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated that 36.3 million people faced acute food insecurity during the June to August 2026 lean season.
In its September 2026 country brief, the organisation also reported that annual food inflation increased for the sixth consecutive month to 20.3 per cent in July, compared with 8.9 per cent in January.
The FAO identified rising agricultural input and transportation costs, insecurity, high fertiliser prices, restricted access to farmland and adverse weather conditions among the factors affecting food production and affordability.
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Adamu Ahmed, welcomed the initiative, saying the institution’s existing agricultural research facilities could support its implementation.
He cited the university’s Institute of Agricultural Research, National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, and Faculty of Agriculture as resources that could help translate research into commercial farming.
Ahmed said the partnership would provide the financing and technical assistance needed to strengthen agricultural production and create opportunities for students.
Similarly, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Oko, Dr Chioma Awuzie, commended President Bola Tinubu and the education minister, saying the programme would help the institution maximise its available land through mechanised agriculture.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, said the bank would provide financing and market connections to help participating institutions commercialise research and improve productivity.
He added that the initiative would enable tertiary institutions to contribute to food supplies beyond their immediate communities while generating revenue from agricultural investments.
Alausa assured stakeholders that the Ministry of Education would collaborate with the Bank of Agriculture, relevant government agencies and participating institutions to ensure effective implementation of the programme.