The North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has initiated a strategic partnership with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) to tackle critical challenges and unlock the vast agricultural potential of the North Central region.
This move was underscored during a working visit by the Managing
Director/Chief Executive Officer of NCDC, Dr. Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil, who led
members of the Commission’s management team to NIRSAL headquarters in Abuja.
Dr. Tsenyil expressed appreciation for the engagement opportunity,
noting that the Commission was established to drive holistic development by
addressing gaps across key sectors such as security, healthcare, mining,
infrastructure, blue economy, climate change and resilience, resettlement and
rehabilitation, and education.
He emphasized that the North Central region, widely regarded as the
nation’s food basket, possesses the capacity to significantly boost national
food security if existing challenges in the agricultural sector are addressed.
According to him, the NCDC is focused on closing critical gaps in
agricultural production, including access to improved seedlings, adoption of
modern farming techniques, reduction of post-harvest losses, value chain
development, processing, and market access.
He further stated that the Commission’s mandate to lift people out of
poverty is anchored on promoting agriculture as a viable business, with
improved access to credit and enhanced capacity for farmers.
Dr. Tsenyil disclosed that, through collaboration with NIRSAL, the
Commission aims to establish comparative agricultural hubs, improve access to
markets, and unlock farming opportunities across the states of the region. He
also advocated for technical collaboration and capacity building, particularly
in promoting communal farming models that ensure security, efficiency, and
shared prosperity among farmers.
In his remarks, the Managing Director/CEO of NIRSAL, Sa’ad Hamidu, who
was represented by Executive Director, Operations, Ewaen Imohe, welcomed the
NCDC delegation and assured them of the organization’s readiness to support the
Commission’s mandate. He noted that NIRSAL has a highly experienced team
capable of delivering on the expectations of the partnership.
He reiterated that the North Central region holds immense agricultural
potential that can be harnessed to reduce poverty, drive economic growth,
enhance food security, address insecurity, and boost export capacity.
During the discussions, NIRSAL officials highlighted key areas of
collaboration, including funding for farm clusters, revitalization of
agricultural industries, technical support and training across value chains,
development of processing facilities, land banking, commodity pricing, storage
systems, and standardization.
Members of the NCDC management team also stressed the importance of
large-scale, contiguous land development to help mitigate insecurity, which has
significantly affected farming activities.
They further emphasized the need to protect farmers and their
investments, while creating targeted opportunities for youth engagement in
agriculture.
Both parties agreed to establish a joint technical working group to
drive the implementation of the partnership.
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