Discourse with Prof. Akinbile

NTA Close Flow with Toheeb Azeez: Planning for a New Future - Can Agriculture become Nigeria's new Oil.

Our Founder & CEO, Toheeb Azeez was on NTA 2 Lagos on the Close Flow show to discuss Agritech & Youth Employment.

The Nigerian Youth population is going to reach 70 million by 2030.

It would form over 26% of a 260 million projected Nigerian population in that year.

Currently, there are 13 million unemployed youths of the nation.
This figure could even climb higher with an envisaged bigger Nigerian and youth populations.
Youth unemployment costs Nigeria $10 billion economic loss yearly.

Agriculture could gainfully employ this number of unemployed youths and 7 million more (according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation).

It already employs 35% of the nation’s workforce, provides livelihood for vast majority of the rural inhabitants, the rural youths inclusive.

However, agriculture in the nation is still largely being practiced in a traditional, boring and unproductive way, that impedes the opportunities in the sector and discourages youth participation.
Technology enhances processes that yields better outcomes, and enables value chain development, which creates enticing opportunities for youth participation.

Other than get dirty and tired working the soil with hoes and cutlasses, youth rather farm with tractor and other advance tools, incorporate data, AI, robotics, IoTs, cloud computing, blockchain and distributed ledgers, and biotechnology, e.t.c. for digitial, precision and smart agriculture, efficiently utilizing inputs to generate greater results.

This way, jobs are not only created for the youths but entrepreneurship is sparked in them where they create solutions and employ more people. ThriveAgric, Precision Field Academy and Releaf Earth (YC W19) are good examples.

Nigeria has an aging farming population and her total population would reach 400 million in 25 years.

Youth participation complementing and replacing agricultural skill and workforce -and with their savviness and creative ability with -and technology in agriculture can help meet this future food needs.

Estimating Nigerian proportion of African agritech against a $100bn future estimate of agritech contritubtions to African agriculture market, agritech could inject $24bn yearly into the Nigeria agriculture market, when properly harnessed.

This is why agritech is important to the Nigerian economy but, however, is being held back by constraints -for instance, finance, infrastructure, skill gap, policy, etc.

Even when the Nigeria Agritech constitutes 25% of the total African agritech funding, the latter is just less than 2% of a $16bn global Agritech funding, and agritech represents just 4.8% of Nigeria’s tech startups.

Works are are being done by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, with policies (Agriculture Promotion Policy, National AI Strategy), 3MTT Nigeria and even private bodies to build critical infrastructure and talents to spur agritech and achieves 85% digital farming.
However, there’s is need for more and rapid work.

Our Founder & CEO, Toheeb Azeez was a Guest on Farmlife TV on NTA 10 to discuss on the topic: Farming in Nigeria - Prospects & Challenges.

At the interview he stressed the need to significantly raise agriculture budget to unleash growth of the Nigerian agriculture and promote food security.

Nigeria’s budgetary allocation to agriculture in 2024 grew by 55.9% from previous year (thanks to increased national budget) but saw a 0.21% decrease in proportional share of national budget and with recurrent expenditure taking 30.4%.

Also, the agriculture allocation is just 1.2% and fails to meet a 10% proportion of national budget to drive growth recommended at the Maputo declaration by African states.

Fund is one of the leading constraints holding the sector back; the nation’s agriculture sector currently suffers a $9bn funding gap despite its importance.

Agriculture has not only proven to be efficient with allocations but also productive, giving multiple returns per investment.

In 2024, it generated $93.75bn (179 folds) in revenue that contributed 25% of Nigeria’s GDP from a $523m allocation which was among the lowest sectoral allocations.

It could do more with an increase not just in sum but also percentage allocation and in line with the recommended, and complemented with thoughtful and result-oriented disbursement.

Toheeb also advised the need for states to leverage their strength which helps to address food insecurity in individual states, corroborate federal government’s effort, and reduce pressure at the centre.

From $70B Trade Deficit to Diaspora Boom: Unlocking African Agrifood Exports with Seller Africa

Summary:
In this powerful episode of The Lasgidi Farmer Podcast, we unpack Africa’s trade paradox with Seyi Dipo-Ogunleye, PR & Marketing Specialist at Seller Africa, the e-commerce platform connecting African SMEs to global buyers.

Africa’s merchandise trade surged 13.9% to $1.5 trillion in 2024 after a 6.3% drop in 2023, yet the continent still closed the year with a $70 billion deficit.

Nigeria posted a ₦7.46 trillion surplus in Q2 2025 (+44.4% QoQ), while agrifood exports soared 300%+ to ₦884 billion in Q3 2024.

But the continent faces a $30 billion agrifood trade deficit, despite agriculture being its economic backbone.

Seyi reveals how Seller Africa turns this tide:

• Bridging supply chain chaos, rejections (e.g., Nigerian beans, smoked fish), spoilage, and inconsistent quality through e-commerce-driven SOPs and real-time market linkage.
• Trapping value in Africa: Helping SMEs move beyond raw cocoa (95% of global output, just 13% of $150B market) into branded, culture-rich products.
• Countering cultural appropriation: where foreign firms rebrand African staples and outcompete locals, by empowering sellers with authenticity, equity, and diaspora-first strategies.
• Leveraging the 350 million-strong African diaspora (sending $53 billion in remittances) and rising global love for African cuisine to fuel SME growth.

From why culture is Seller Africa’s secret weapon to government policy fixes for a thriving export ecosystem, this episode is a masterclass in turning trade deficits into diaspora-driven prosperity.

Key Highlights:

• Why Africa earns lesser from agrifood exports and how Seller Africa flips the script.
• E-commerce as the antidote to supply failures, value loss, and middleman exploitation.
• Real strategies for SMEs to outmaneuver cultural appropriators and dominate diaspora markets.
• Actionable advice for exporters: mindsets, tools, and rapid global entry tactics.
• A bold call to African governments: Build the infrastructure for a $100B+ agrifood export future.

Guest: Seyi Dipo-Ogunleye, PR & Marketing Specialist, Seller Africa
Host: The Lasgidi Farmer
Duration: [50:09]

Keywords: #AfricanTrade #AgrifoodExports #SellerAfrica #DiasporaDemand #CulturalEconomy #SMEgrowth #AfCFTA

Listen now! Because the future of African wealth is not in raw beans or cocoa pods. It is in productivity, value addition, story, infrastructure, culture, connection, and digital command.

This Episode is with FarmX, a digital agriculture and logistics platform, represented by its CEO and COO, Igbokwe Marvis and Adeosun Victor.

Title

• Agricultural & Livelihood Transformation through Equitable Digital Supply Chain.

Summary

This conversation delves into the critical role of digital supply chains in enhancing food security and empowering farmers. The discussion highlights the mission of FarmX, a platform designed to connect farmers directly with buyers, thereby eliminating middlemen and ensuring fair pricing. Key topics include the challenges faced by farmers, the importance of logistics in reducing costs, and the need for trust in agricultural transactions. The speakers emphasize the significance of technology in creating equitable markets and the potential for scaling agricultural innovations across Africa.

Takeaways

• Food security is crucial for both farmers and consumers.

• A transparent supply chain ensures fair pricing for farmers and consumers.

• Digital supply chains can reduce food waste and improve efficiency.

• FarmX aims to connect farmers directly with buyers, eliminating middlemen.

• Logistics is a major cost factor for farmers; efficient systems can reduce this.
• Farmers can set their own prices on the FarmX platform.
• Empowering farmers leads to better margins and sustainable practices.
• Trust is essential in agricultural transactions to prevent fraud.
• Scaling requires partnerships and a focus on infrastructure.
• The future of agriculture in Africa relies on indigenous solutions.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Food Security and Supply Chain

15:10 Understanding FarmX and Its Mission

22:08 Exploring Digital Supply Chains

30:40 Addressing Challenges in Agricultural Supply Chains

34:56 Logistics and Cost Reduction Strategies

38:04 Empowering Farmers Through Direct Sales

43:11 Balancing Profitability and Equity

45:15 Technology and Value Addition for Farmers

50:59 Building Trust in Agricultural Transactions

55:58 Scaling FarmX Across Regions

01:00:13 Unique Value Proposition of FarmX

01:03:31 Creating Impact Beyond Farmers

01:10:44 Closing Remarks and Future Vision

Keywords

Food security, supply chain, digital agriculture, FarmX, logistics, farmers empowerment, technology in agriculture, transparent and equitable markets, agricultural innovation, trust ecosystem, local solutions, opportunities, national and continental impacts.

This insightful conversation was urgently held in reality a changed rainfall pattern and which constituted concern as the Nigerian food system is largely rain-dependent.

The Episode has as it is Gest, Shuqrah Umar, an agricultural professional with specialization in irrigation and many years of experience in the field.

Shuqrah leads two visionary enterprise in Nigeria -founded Sierra Alpha Resource (an irrigation system and inputs supplier for agricultural industry) and established Sierra Innovations Ltd (providing local irrigation solutions and technical services to farmer and agricultural enthusiasts).

We began this discussion assessing the rainfall realities around Nigeria and comparing with the predictions of the body charged with weather and climate predictions in the nation, NIMET (Nigerian Meteorological Agency).

While it tallied in few cases and especially for states and regions looked at -Lagos state, Kwara state, Oyo state, South West, Coastal and North Central Regions -with early rainfall onset and late ending of wet season, it was not for many others, and this informed the need for supplementary irrigation.

This irregular was determined to have deeper impacts beyond food supply but to also hunger, poverty and conflicts.

What irrigation means was addressed, termed to be artificial and human approach to providing water to plants -and for other water uses, for rearing animals, drinking, cooking, and hygiene purpose -as against a natural phenomenon, rainfall.

A proper definition helps to understand water uses and what would be required address and satisfy them.

This was the approach advised for embarking on irrigation set up; to determine water availability, uses, and then plan and develop gradually, than spontaneously implement and largely without a broader picture.

Different irrigation methods were considered, flood, basin, furrow, sprinkle, and drip, and their pros and cons to to help make informed and best decision and get productive outcome. Considering efficiency of irrigation method was advised so as not to waste resources and/or compound cost and therefore defeating part of purposes of irrigation.

Looking at the peculiar socio-economic condition of Nigerian major food producers and their inculpabilities to make costly irrigation investment, we considered connecting opportunities to challenges, innovative irrigation strategies and payment model.

We discovered that while farmers do not have adequate irrigation there were water bodies. A problem of inaccessibility to a lack and/or inadequate infrastructure was identified and thus the call for public investment to support producers.

Private sector role in sustainable irrigation model was also looked and their capacity to inject funds, provide quality managerial function were highlighted but that impatience and risk presented challenges. In tandem, the need for better risk management entail collaboration of stakeholders was emphasized.

This approach was also advised for irrigation payment model, where farming must be done as a business to not only yield bounty harvest to also impact livelihoods of farmers and thus that while farmers must pay, the payment model must consider their precarious situation and importance to the nation.

Farmers pulling resources together to lower irrigation cost and enable access, bundling, cost recovery were exploited.

We thought that it was best there was a unified approached to irrigation for this not only but also for environmental management and sustainability.

With individual farmer having to drill their own borehole to access water, the risk of pollution and water table depletion arises and increases.

Cost-effective innovative concept as rain harvesting was considered, and advised but warned it is not an absolute replacement but should serve as supplement.

Sustainable irrigation was implored to be seen as an ecosystem than mere set up and this way increases success -agronomy (climate-adaptive seeds), hardware, choices, etc.

Dive into Nigeria’s Blue Economy in this compelling podcast discourse that unpacks the nation’s vast marine resources and strategic position in the Gulf of Guinea.

Our Guest for this Episoide is Okon Eteobong Amah (The Catfishprenuer), MD/CEO PRODAVE SERVICES INTEGRATED. He is the Secretary of Akwa Ibom Fish Farmers Association of Nigeria (AKWAFFAN).

With the global Blue Economy valued at $24 trillion and with a projected annual revenue to double its current to $5.2 trillion by 2034, Nigeria has immense potential to drive economic growth and sustainability, having 853km coastline, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about 200nm, a vast inland waterways resource estimated at nearly 10,000kms.Our expert panel explored critical issues, from the transformative Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to challenges in aquaculture, maritime trade, and marine biotechnology.

He tackled overfishing, port congestion, export bottlenecks, and the environmental impacts of coastal development, while spotlighting opportunities for job creation, innovation, and value chain growth across Nigeria’s nine coastal states.

From addressing the $1.2 billion fish import gap to leveraging marine resources for pharmaceuticals, this episode delivers actionable insights into Nigeria’s journey toward becoming a Blue Economy powerhouse.

Listen to this engaging discussion on sustainable strategies, policy frameworks, and the path to a thriving marine economy by 2034, and with thoughts for the environment.

This podcast is a must-listen for policymakers, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, and anyone passionate about Nigeria’s economic future.