The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has affirmed its commitment to partnering with relevant stakeholders to incorporate digital technology into agriculture, aiming to ensure food security in Nigeria.
Director-General of NITDA, Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, made this statement during a working visit from a delegation led by Mr. Josh Woodard, Senior Digital Advisor Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), held in Abuja.
Inuwa highlighted Nigeria’s vast arable land, totaling over 70 million hectares, as a significant asset to feed the country and neighboring West African nations. He emphasized the urgency of conducting a rapid landscape assessment of digital agriculture in Nigeria, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which prioritizes boosting agricultural productivity for food security.
Enumerating NITDA’s initiatives, Inuwa emphasized the integration of information technology (IT) across critical sectors, including agriculture, to enhance productivity. He outlined various strategies, such as utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), blockchain, and robotics in agriculture for tasks like crop monitoring, pest detection, and farm automation.
Inuwa urged USAID to join efforts to address food insecurity by participating in these initiatives aimed at revolutionizing agriculture through digital technology.
In response, Woodard expressed USAID’s interest in collaborating with Nigeria to enhance digital farming practices. He noted USAID’s recent launch of the Global Food Security Strategy for Nigeria (2024-2029) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to working with stakeholders to ensure food security in Nigeria.
