NITDA, Kyari seek digital fix for Nigeria’s agricultural extension gap

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, represented by the Director, e-Government, Engr. Salisu Kaka, delivering his remarks at the Africa Agribusiness Extension Summit (AAES) 2026, organised by Extension Africa in partnership with NITDA in Abuja.

"Nigeria can no longer rely solely on conventional face-to-face extension services to meet the needs of its growing farming population." Inuwa, DG NITDA 

.... Calls for the development of an integrated digital infrastructure capable of providing millions of farmers with timely and reliable agricultural information.

.... Says "emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, could complement the existing extension workforce."

.... As Minister Kyari advocates greater investment in digital agricultural extension services to modernise farming, increase productivity and strengthen food security.

Says "Nigeria’s conventional agricultural extension system had weakened over the years, resulting in a significant increase in the ratio of farmers to extension agents in many parts of the country."

The National Information Technology Development Agency and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have called for increased investment in digital agricultural extension services to bridge the widening gap between farmers and extension agents in Nigeria.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, made the call at the Africa Agribusiness Extension Summit 2026, organised by Extension Africa in partnership with NITDA in Abuja.

Inuwa, who was represented by the Director of e-Government, Engr. Salisu Kaka, said Nigeria could no longer rely solely on conventional face-to-face extension services to meet the needs of its growing farming population.

He called for the development of an integrated digital infrastructure capable of providing millions of farmers with timely and reliable agricultural information, saying emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, could complement the existing extension workforce.

According to him, AI could connect farmers with advisory services regardless of their locations, while analysing agricultural trends, generating recommendations and supporting early-warning systems to enable farmers respond to emerging threats.

The NITDA boss, however, stressed that the focus should not be on creating isolated digital platforms, but on building an interconnected digital ecosystem.

He identified interoperability, scalability, security and reliable data as critical requirements for effective digital agricultural services.

Similarly, Kyari advocated greater investment in digital agricultural extension services to modernise farming, increase productivity and strengthen food security.

The minister said Nigeria’s conventional agricultural extension system had weakened over the years, resulting in a significant increase in the ratio of farmers to extension agents in many parts of the country.

He therefore called for digital platforms capable of delivering weather alerts, market information, crop disease advice and other agricultural information to farmers through mobile phones and other channels.

Kyari stressed that such digital solutions must be designed around the realities of farmers and should complement, rather than replace, conventional extension services.

He also urged state governments to increase their investment in agricultural extension, while calling for greater participation of young people and deliberate efforts to ensure that women farmers were not left behind.

The minister said improving the productivity of millions of farmers would be critical to meeting Nigeria’s rising food demand, adding that better access to agricultural knowledge and advisory services could improve livelihoods and strengthen food security.

The Chief Executive Officer of Extension Africa, Tajudeen Yahaya, said the organisation was established to address gaps in Africa’s agricultural extension system and strengthen last-mile advisory services.

Yahaya identified people, data, technology and partnerships as the key pillars required to build an effective agricultural extension system.

He called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, private-sector organisations, development partners and technology companies to tackle fragmentation in agricultural extension services.

Yahaya disclosed that Extension Africa, established in 2021, had grown to about 7,000 extension workers across 16 states and reached more than one million farmers.

He said the summit was designed to develop measurable benchmarks and practical solutions for strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural extension system through improved human capacity, reliable data, technology and sustainable partnerships.