By Olokuta Rofiat
Nigeria’s push for food security and agricultural transformation received a major boost on Saturday as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu unveiled 2,000 tractors and thousands of modern farm implements under the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanization Programme in Abuja.
The initiative, touted as the most ambitious in decades, also includes over 9,000 farm implements, 10 combine harvesters, 12 mobile workshops, 9,000 spare parts kits, GPS tracking systems, and a youth-focused training programme to empower the next generation of farmers.
President Tinubu said the programme will help cultivate over 550,000 hectares of farmland, generate at least two million metric tons of staple food annually, create more than 16,000 direct jobs, and benefit at least 550,000 farming households nationwide.
“Nigeria must feed itself and still have enough to share with the world. History will remember this moment as the day our country began to write its agricultural story with machines and manpower,” Tinubu declared.
He added that farming must become “tech-driven, easy, and even sexy” to attract young Nigerians into agriculture.
The tractors and equipment were supplied by Belarus, which also pledged to set up local assembly plants, training centres, and service hubs in Nigeria.
Tinubu disclosed that the partnership was facilitated by his long-time associate from the University of Chicago, Alex Sigman, who connected both governments to seal the landmark deal.
Experts say the move positions Nigeria not only to meet its domestic food needs but also to strengthen its place as a potential contributor to global food supply.
