Fund, NBS Partner To Strengthen Agric Data

The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have entered into a partnership to improve the generation, validation, sharing and analysis of agricultural data, to strengthen evidence-based financing, policymaking and investment in Nigeria’s agriculture sector.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in Abuja, established a framework for closer collaboration between the two institutions in producing and using reliable agricultural statistics for planning, programme implementation, investment decisions and impact assessment.

The executive secretary of NADF, Mohammed Abu Ibrahim said reliable data was central to the effective implementation of agricultural development programmes and would enable the fund to make more informed investment decisions.

Ibrahim said the collaboration would strengthen NADF’s capacity to design interventions based on verified information on the needs and realities of farmers and other actors across the agricultural value chain.

He noted that although NADF was established by an Act of Parliament in 2022, the fund had continued to develop strategic partnerships aimed at strengthening its capacity to deliver on its mandate.

The ES said the agreement with NBS was particularly important as the Fund deepened its role in agricultural financing and development, stressing that credible statistics would help reduce the risks associated with investment decisions and improve the measurement of programme outcomes.

“Data is our chief enabler. We want every intervention and every investment we make to be guided by credible evidence. Working with the National Bureau of Statistics will strengthen our ability to design programmes that respond to real needs and deliver measurable results,” Ibrahim said.