Beyond production: Nigeria explores pathways of building competitive agro-industrial systems for agricultural transformation
3 July 2026
Agriculture remains one of Africa’s largest economic sectors, yet much of its produce leaves farms with little value addition, limited processing, and weak integration into industrial markets.
Despite contributing nearly one-quarter of Nigeria’s GDP, agriculture continues to account for a relatively small share of export earnings, highlighting the opportunity to strengthen value addition, processing, and market linkages across the sector.
For policymakers in Nigeria, the challenge is no longer simply increasing production. The bigger question is how to transform agriculture into a competitive industry capable of attracting investment, creating jobs, strengthening food systems, and driving economic diversification.
It is this challenge that brought Commissioners responsible for Agriculture, Industry, Trade, and Investment from Ekiti and Niger States to Zambia and Zimbabwe under the African Development Bank-funded Special Agro-Processing Zones (SAPZ) Phase II initiative.
The SAPZ is a strategic initiative by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and state governments to transform agriculture through integrated agro-industrial hubs.
It is aimed at industrializing agriculture, enhancing value addition, and improving food security by creating rural-based zones where agribusinesses can operate efficiently with access to infrastructure, services, and policy support.
The learning tour, organized by the IITA–CGIAR, which is the technical advisor on the program, in collaboration with the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), sought to expose senior policymakers to practical models of agro-industrialization that can be adapted to the Nigerian context.
“The objective of the learning tour was not simply to showcase successful models, but to expose decision makers to the systems that enable agricultural transformation, and we will continue to offer our technical support in that regard. Our key priority areas are developing learning centers and connecting them to potential seed companies with whom they can work directly. Through SAPZ, we are supporting states to think beyond production and toward building functioning agro-industrial ecosystems,” said Dean Muungani, GCA, SAPZ Project Lead.
Unlike many agricultural exchanges focused solely on production, the SAPZ learning tour examined the systems that underpin successful agricultural industries, including seed development and certification, processing infrastructure, private sector participation, agro-dealer networks, and coordinated public-private partnerships.
Zambia and Zimbabwe were selected because both countries have built relatively mature seed and agro-processing industries, anchored by strong regulatory frameworks, active private sector investment, and integrated value chains.
These systems have enabled the growth of competitive seed industries, supported by research institutions, efficient certification systems, and participation from both large-scale companies and small- and medium-sized enterprises.
In Zambia, the delegation visited leading agricultural companies, including ZAMSEED, AFRISEED, and Seed Co, where they explored seed production systems, private-sector-led agricultural innovation, and value chain coordination models.
“One of the biggest takeaways for me has been seeing how strong seed systems create a foundation for productivity and industrial growth. We often focus heavily on production, but this visit has reinforced that agriculture becomes transformational when supported by functioning institutions, private sector participation, and structured value chains,” said Honorable Omotayo Adeola, Commissioner of Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperation, Ekiti State
The Zimbabwe leg of the tour offered further insight into how agricultural systems can support industrial transformation. At Valley Seeds, the delegation examined the company’s outgrower scheme and its fully integrated seed-processing structure, which demonstrated how private-sector-led models could strengthen seed multiplication, quality assurance, and market systems while incorporating smallholder farmers into commercial value chains.
At Seed Co Research Farm, discussions focused on quality seed production, varietal development, and the research systems required to sustain competitive agricultural industries. Visits to ART Farm and CIMMYT further exposed participants to mechanization, agricultural research, and innovation systems that support productivity and industrial growth.
Niger State Commissioner of Investment, Honorable Aminu Suleman Takuma, said, “The learning has gone beyond seed production. We have seen practical examples of how research, farmer engagement, processing, and market systems interact to build resilient agricultural economies. The challenge and opportunity for us now is how to adapt these lessons to our own context.”
A recurring theme throughout the tour was that successful agricultural transformation depends not only on production, but also on the systems that connect research, seed supply, processing, markets, and investment. Participants observed that strong agro-industrial systems require coordinated public-private collaboration, effective regulation, reliable infrastructure, and investor confidence.
The SAPZ model is designed to address many of these structural gaps by attracting private investment into agriculture, agro-industrial infrastructure, and associated services through structured public-private partnerships. By clustering infrastructure, utilities, land access, and regulatory support, SAPZ aims to reduce investor risk, improve project bankability, and accelerate agro-industrial growth.
The tour demonstrated how integrated agricultural systems could create conditions for stronger rural economies, increased value addition, job creation, and greater participation of women and youth in agribusiness.
As African countries continue searching for pathways to strengthen food systems and drive economic transformation, the SAPZ initiative reflects a growing recognition that agriculture must evolve beyond primary production into a fully integrated industrial ecosystem. The systems observed in Zambia and Zimbabwe offer practical examples of what that transformation can look like, and what it may take to achieve it.
Contributed by Rachel Namukolo-Nali
