The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has taken a major step towards reshaping agricultural finance in Nigeria by successfully convening its inaugural fund manager networking session, a forum designed to strengthen partnerships, deepen investment participation and unlock long-term capital for the country’s agri-food sector.
Held under the theme “Unlocking Agribusiness Financing in Nigeria: NADF as Catalytic Partner”, the session, which was held at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, on Wednesday, brought together leading fund managers, capital market operators, investment institutions and development finance experts, marking a significant step by NADF to position agriculture within mainstream investment conversations.
The initiative, according to NADF, is aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the push for food security and sovereignty as central pillars of national economic stability.
In his keynote address, NADF Executive Secretary Mohammed Ibrahim highlighted that transforming Nigeria’s agricultural sector requires structure, collaboration and a financing model capable of converting the sector’s vast potential into sustainable and investable value chains.
“We share a common goal: to unleash the full potential of Nigeria’s agricultural sector. The National Agricultural Development Fund was created to address financial constraints and improve food security by providing structured support to farmers and agribusinesses.
“Our mission aligns profits with purpose, and partnerships with institutions like yours are vital,” he told investors and fund managers.
Noting that agriculture, despite its significant contribution to GDP and employment, Muhammed still attracts a disproportionately low share of private investment, Muhammed said the NADF is strategically positioned to help close the gap by reducing risks, strengthening value chain coordination, supporting processors through backward integration and deploying blended financing instruments that attract commercial capital.
The Executive Secretary emphasized that NADF’s recent initiatives, including on-lending programs with banks, a digital farmer verification system, targeted support for women and youth and the AgGrow processor-led integration scheme, are designed to create a transparent and investable portfolio that supports both national priorities and investor expectations.
Guest speaker, Aakif Merchant, Director of Engagement and Capacity Development at Convergence Blended Finance, gave a presentation on blended finance in emerging markets, highlighting global models that Nigeria can leverage.
Bolaji Balogun, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chapel Hill Denham, praised the NADF initiatives and made a strong call for urgent and long-term investments in agriculture.
He underlined the centrality of agriculture to Nigeria’s economic future, noting that the sector has immense potential to catalyze national development, revitalize rural economies, create millions of jobs and generate significant export revenues.
Balogun said the country remains short of this potential because investments have not matched the scale of infrastructure needs such as processing equipment, storage facilities, logistics networks and essential inputs.
He argued that for agriculture to thrive, Nigeria must move from traditional bank-based financing to patient financing driven by capital markets.
“The fundamental question is how we begin to implement patient and much longer-term financing in the sector. Agriculture requires capital that understands scale, gestation and risk.
“We must embrace blended finance and longer-term investments if we are serious about unlocking the future of this economy.”
His intervention reinforced NADF’s position that sustainable food security requires strategic investments beyond seasonal loans towards infrastructure, mechanization, processing and market connectivity across the value chain.
There were contributions from experts from the investment community, such as Tony Idugboe, Chief Investment Officer at ARM Agribusiness Fund Managers Ltd, who noted that institutions like NADF play an essential bridging role between government objectives and the realities of market financing, emphasizing the need for long-duration, blended instruments that can support farmers and processors more sustainably.
Similarly, Oluwatosin Ojo of Sahel Capital called for more specialized expertise and diverse funding sources, including philanthropic organizations, DFIs, commercial banks and private capital providers, to address structural gaps in agriculture. According to him, a comprehensive financial approach is essential to strengthen food production, processing, distribution and consumption in Nigeria.
The event concluded with a panel discussion on emerging trends and opportunities in agricultural finance, reinforcing the consensus that Nigeria’s agricultural transformation depends on collaboration, patient capital and innovative instruments that reduce risk while expanding investment confidence.
Overall, the session demonstrated the evolving role of the NADF as a catalytic partner driving the kind of investment architecture needed to not only unlock agricultural potential but also support the broader national effort to achieve food security and economic sovereignty under President Tinubu’s administration.
With stakeholders aligned around a shared vision and the emergence of a clear funding pathway, the conversation signaled renewed confidence that Nigeria’s agri-food sector is on a transformative trajectory – a trajectory that the NADF is determined to champion.
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