By Agozie Bowie
The Federal Government says Nigeria has the potential to become a major hub for agricultural machinery manufacturing, assembly and distribution across Africa.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari who made the assertion also added that Nigeria will not achieve sustainable food security while relying predominantly on manual farming methods.
Kyari said this at the opening of the 3rd edition of the Farm, Food and Allied Technologies Expo (FARMFATECH 2026) with the theme, “Driving Agricultural Industrialisation: Local Manufacturing, Technology Transfer and Export for Africa’s Prosperity” organised by Autodex Nigeria Limited in Abuja.
The minister was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, whose address was delivered by the Director, Agribusiness and Market Development, Mr. Ayodele Olawumi.
While declaring the exhibition open, the minister added that FARMFATECH 2026 represents an investment call to stakeholders to convert Nigeria’s enormous agricultural potential into sustainable productivity, employment opportunities and national prosperity.
He said Nigeria’s vast arable land, rapidly growing population and increasing demand for food had created an enormous and expanding market for agricultural machinery and mechanisation services.
Kyari identified tractors, harvesters, irrigation equipment, processing machinery, storage technologies and other agricultural equipment as critical investment opportunities capable of generating commercial returns while addressing one of Africa’s most pressing challenges of food insecurity.
“Agricultural mechanisation should no longer be regarded merely as an intervention for farm production but as a viable business opportunity that can stimulate investment, create employment and strengthen the country’s agricultural value chains.
“This is why the federal government is creating an enabling environment through supportive policies, improved access to agricultural finance, incentives for local manufacturing and strategic programmes, including the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs).
“All these are to strengthen agricultural value chains to ensure that farmers move beyond primary production into processing, value addition and profitable markets,’’ he assured.
In a major keynote intervention that broadened the conversation around agricultural industrialisation, Atai Akpan, Head of Sustainability and SDG Alignment at the World Agriculture Forum Nigeria Council, warned that sustainability information was increasingly becoming a critical requirement for accessing international agricultural markets and securing financing.
Delivering a keynote address titled “Sustainability Across the Agricultural Value Chain: Preparing for the New Demands of Finance and Export”, Akpan explained that agricultural businesses must begin preparing for emerging environmental, climate and traceability requirements imposed by international buyers and financial institutions.
He identified cocoa, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood among the commodities produced and exported by Nigeria that fall within the regulation’s coverage.
Akpan stated that importers must identify the specific farm plots where their products originated and demonstrate that the land was not deforested or degraded after December 2020.
He warned that Nigerian farmers, cooperatives and exporters who cannot provide the necessary traceability information risk losing access to important international markets.
“The responsibility for providing such information begins at the farm level, making it imperative for cooperatives and agricultural producers to maintain reliable records of their production locations and supply chains,’’ Akpan added.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of Autodex Nigeria Limited, Dr. Nnamdi Ezeani, welcomed government representatives, development finance institutions, manufacturers, technology providers and other stakeholders to the third edition of FARMFATECH.
He said the gathering reflected a shared commitment to transforming Nigerian agriculture from predominantly small-scale production into a technology-driven, commercially viable and industrially competitive sector.
He emphasised that agricultural industrialisation could not be achieved through isolated interventions, stressing the need for coordinated efforts among government institutions, manufacturers, research organisations, financial institutions, technology providers, farmers and agribusiness operators.
According to him, government must provide an enabling environment, manufacturers must invest in production and assembly capacity, research institutions must support innovation and adaptation to local conditions, while financial institutions must develop appropriate financing products.
He also stressed that farmers and agribusinesses must be empowered to acquire and deploy agricultural equipment profitably.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Autodex Nigeria Limited and lead creator of FARMFATECH, Prince Tony Ifeakandu, reinforced the need for Nigeria and other African countries to move away from excessive dependence on imported finished agricultural equipment towards domestic manufacturing, technology development and industrial capacity building.
He said agriculture must move beyond subsistence production to become a major driver of industrialisation, employment, wealth creation and economic growth.
Ifeakandu disclosed that Autodex Nigeria Limited had expanded its industrial operations beyond vehicle assembly to include agricultural machinery assembly, local fabrication, renewable energy solutions and other manufacturing activities.
He revealed that the company had established a completely knocked-down (CKD) farm tractor assembly plant in Nigeria, covering four-wheel tractors and hand tillers, with an annual production capacity of approximately 4,000 tractors and 8,000 hand tillers.
According to him, Autodex is also involved in the assembly of cars, vans, pickups, buses, trucks and tricycles, while its local fabrication activities include flatbed dryers, beehives and critical spare parts.
The company, he added, has investments and operations in electric tricycles, electric bikes, paint manufacturing and solar power solutions.
He described the company’s industrial vision as one in which Nigeria would no longer remain merely a consumer of imported agricultural technology but would gradually become a manufacturer and developer of the technology required to drive its agricultural transformation.
The three-day exhibition, scheduled for November 9–11, brought together government representatives, agricultural machinery manufacturers, technology providers, financial institutions, development partners, investors, farmers, agribusiness operators and other stakeholders to explore practical solutions for transforming Nigeria’s agricultural production and industrial value chains.
