Njemanze Emmanuel G. C.
The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has applauded the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for introducing the Agri360 Mechanization Training Initiative.
She described it as a strategic investment in a mechanization-as-a-service economy, where farmers can access the right machinery at an affordable cost while empowering women and youth in the agricultural ecosystem.
Speaking during the National Colloquium on the role of women and youth in agricultural mechanization and official unveiling of AGRI360 Mechanization Training Initiative, held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja on Wednesday 9th September, 2026, the First Lady represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, stated the initiative would build the capacity of 5,000 women and young people in agricultural mechanization, digital agriculture, equipment operation and maintenance.
The First Lady said the initiative was significant because the future of Nigeria’s agricultural sector depended largely on empowering the country’s vibrant youth and resourceful women with the skills, tools and opportunities required to participate meaningfully in modern agriculture.
Tinubu pointed out that agricultural mechanization would enhance traditional farming methods by increasing productivity, reducing the physical burden associated with farming and making agriculture more attractive to young Nigerians.
She noted that mechanization would create opportunities beyond farming itself, including equipment operation and maintenance, agricultural processing, logistics, technology, and other areas across the agricultural value chain.”
The First Lady revealed that young Nigerians were already redefining the agricultural landscape through the adoption of digital technologies, precision farming, artificial intelligence, drones and other innovative approaches
Tinubu also stressed the importance of creating greater opportunities for women in agriculture, noting that when women acquire the skills and resources to earn incomes and grow their businesses, the benefits extend beyond them to their families and communities.
Setting the tone at the National Colloquium on the Role of Women and Youth in Advancing Agricultural Mechanization, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari stated that the future of Nigerian agriculture must move beyond physical labour to technology, enterprise and opportunity.
“A farmer using a hoe should not be expected to compete with a farmer using modern machinery. A young Nigerian should not look at agriculture and see only physical labour. The future of Nigerian agriculture must tell a different story,” the Minister stated.
He explained that mechanization allows a farmer to accomplish in hours what might otherwise take days, freeing valuable time and allowing knowledge, skill and enterprise to matter more than sheer human effort.
Kyari revealed that government’s ambition is to build a Mechanization-as-a-Service economy where farmers can access the right machinery, at the right time and at an affordable cost.
“Nigeria’s mechanization challenge is therefore also an employment opportunity. Every machine placed into productive use creates a need for trained operators, technicians, maintenance and repair services, equipment managers and viable service businesses,” he said.
The Minister noted that AGRI360 provides a bridge to that ambition, connecting skills with enterprise, technology with farmers, and mechanization with economic opportunity.
According to him, the initiative complements the Federal Government’s broader mechanization agenda, anchored by the National Agricultural Mechanization Policy and National Agricultural Mechanization Investment Strategy, launched in August 2026 to advance machinery manufacturing, assembly, servicing, innovation and investment in Nigeria.
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