The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security on Wednesday, 25th of March, 2026, launched Nigeria’s first-ever Twinning Project.
It was reported that the launch, held in Abuja, was attended by senior officials from both the Nigerian government and the EU, to address the agriculture issues facing the country.
The ministry noted that it is a landmark collaboration with the European Union (EU) and three of its member states, namely the Czech Republic, Austria and Latvia.
It added that the collaboration is aimed at transforming the Nigeria’s agricultural system from the ground up through the power of digital tools, climate-smart farming techniques and the kind of institutional expertise that has placed European agriculture among the most productive in the world.
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Reports stated that this comes as part of a broader €290 million investment package the EU unveiled for Nigeria just days earlier, covering digital infrastructure, healthcare manufacturing and agricultural value chains, all under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.
It was gathered that the project is designed to support Nigeria’s transition to a more resilient agricultural system, by strengthening value chains and enhancing productivity.
Report has it that this will be done with a focus on using technology to address challenges in the agricultural sector, including low productivity, post-harvest losses, climate change impacts and inefficiencies across the value chain.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, who spoke at the unveiling in Abuja, said the project represented another important milestone in the long-standing cooperation between Nigeria and the EU.
Senator Abdullahi noted that agriculture remains the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and a critical pillar for national development.
He also disclosed that the sector employs a large proportion of the country’s population and plays a central role in ensuring food security, poverty reduction, and economic growth.
Yet, research has it that as the statistics make painfully clear that this backbone is buckling under the weight of climate change, insecurity and policy gaps that have for too long separated good ideas from real results in the field.
Research has it that the country sits on more than 70 million hectares of arable land and is the world’s largest producer of cassava, yam and cowpea.
Research also indicate that Nigeria’s agricultural sector grew by 3.75% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025 and contributed 31.2% to Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), despite the lean season.
Yet, the food crisis is reportedly real and worsening.
A recent assessment by the World Food Programme found that a shocking 33 million people faced acute food insecurity in Nigeria in 2025, with the number of people facing emergency levels of need projected to almost double.
The United Nations World Food Programme has also warned that up to 35 million Nigerians could face severe food insecurity by 2026, driven largely by insecurity and disruptions to farming, in conflict-affected northern regions.
It was gathered that added to the issues, there is the equally devastating problem of post-harvest losses, that is, food that is grown but spoils before it reaches a market, or reaches the market in poor condition because the right systems are not in place to store, process and distribute it properly.
Research estimated that Nigeria loses between 20 and 40 percent of its agricultural output to post-harvest waste annually, which is reportedly a colossal drain on a sector that can barely afford it.
However, with the Twinning Project, reports indicate that experts from Latvia, Austria and the Czech Republic will sit with their Nigerian counterparts, share what they know and help build the kind of institutions and policies that make change stick long after the project ends.
Report has it that through the project, experts from Latvia, Austria and the Czech Republic would work closely with Nigerian counterparts under a peer-to-peer cooperation framework, sharing experience and building long-term institutional partnerships.
The ambassador described the collaboration as reflecting the “Team Europe” approach, where the European Union and its member states combine expertise and resources, to achieve greater impact in partner countries.
It was reported that the project will support the review of Nigeria’s National Agricultural Resilience Framework and the development of technical guidance on climate-smart agriculture techniques.
It added that this will strengthen the policy environment and align it with international best practices.
According to reports, equally important are the opportunities for capacity building and institutional strengthening that the project will provide through study visits, training programmes, and technical exchanges, according to Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, who was represented at the event by his minister of state, made clear that this project will also facilitate capacity building for Nigerian institutions through training programmes, study visits and technical exchanges.
Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said “Addressing food insecurity requires not only investment but strong institutions and effective policies. This project will identify key gaps and provide practical recommendations that translate into real improvements for farmers, agribusinesses and rural communities.”
He reaffirmed that the European Union, working with Team Europe, remains a reliable partner to Nigeria and expressed confidence that the initiative would lead to stronger policies, more effective institutions and improved food security outcomes in the country.
Deputy Director of the State Plant Protection Service of Latvia (SPPS) and a key technical partner in the project, Vents Ezers said that the initiative would support farmers’ resilience and create a pathway for mainstreaming climate-smart agriculture across Nigeria’s agricultural and food system.
He said that Nigeria is facing challenges such as climate change, adding that climate-smart agriculture would help Nigeria become climate-resilient.
A Nigerian government spokesperson welcomed the entire package, saying the partnership would “accelerate innovation, strengthen rural livelihoods, and position Nigeria as a competitive player in the global digital and agricultural markets.”
