In a recent call to the nation, the Honourable Minister of Agriculture urged Nigerians to fast and pray for the transformation of our agricultural sector. As a woman of faith and purpose, I believe in the power of prayer. But as a farmer, entrepreneur, and youth mentor on the frontlines of agribusiness, I also believe that faith without work is dead.
Nigeria is a land immensely blessed, rich in arable soil and teeming with young people who are creative, energetic, and hungry for opportunity. And yet, these very youths remain grossly under-engaged. Not for lack of passion, but for lack of a system that works for the ordinary Nigerian.
I speak not from theory but from the trenches. At UMèRA Farms, we have cultivated acres of cashew and oil palm through cooperative farming. We are now building a youth-centred aquaculture ecosystem, a bold effort to train young Nigerians across the value chain from hatchery operations and feed formulation to harvesting, processing, and packaging. But like many local agribusinesses, our work is moving at a snail’s pace. Why? Limited access to funding, zero government support, and no access to foreign aid.
Earlier this year, we began constructing a reservoir to power our aquaculture vision. Nearby villagers assumed it was a federal project. It wasn’t. It was 100% self-funded. That assumption alone speaks volumes about the gap between private effort and public recognition.
We are not asking for handouts. We are building solutions. What we need is government reinforcement. The policies may exist in theory, but their implementation is often clouded by bureaucracy, politics, or corruption. Many commercial banks that partner with the CBN demand unofficial kickbacks before loans are disbursed. The consequence? The real grassroots innovators are locked out.
Meanwhile, practical models like the Soilless Farm Lab’s youth training programme, which is entirely funded by foreign aid, are quietly transforming lives. It’s Nigerian-grown, Nigerian-run, and serving Nigerian youths. That is the kind of programme the government should study and replicate across all 36 states.
We must also stop seeing agriculture as just “farming” and start viewing it as a multi-layered economic engine. Every link in the agricultural value chain – production, storage, logistics, processing, packaging, retail, and export – is critical. No part of the chain is waste.
One of the major barriers to agricultural success is the absence of functional storage infrastructure. Without silos, cold rooms, or aggregation centres, farmers are at the mercy of glut seasons, post-harvest losses, and unpredictable pricing. This doesn’t just harm farmers; it fuels food inflation across the country. Even in states like Oyo, where some government-built storage facilities exist, these centres have either been leased out to foreign entities who use them for their own export advantage, or they have become non-functional due to poor maintenance.
This highlights a deeper issue; government assets often go underutilised or mismanaged. To solve this, I strongly recommend that the government enter co-investment partnerships with credible private sector players, who will ensure that such facilities are maintained, scaled, and put to proper use. What we need is a faith-and-works approach. Pray, yes. But also act. Implement policies that work. Fund systems that scale. Elevate players already building viable models. Most importantly, empower our institutions to lead the charge.
Take the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), an institution that should be at the forefront of innovation. It should not exist solely to regulate. It should invest in youth-driven agritech, sponsor research, commercialise indigenous ideas, and serve as a launchpad for scalable solutions. Why can’t ARCN run innovation challenges, fund agritech accelerators, or support university-to-farm pipelines?
The success of nations like Israel and the Netherlands in agriculture is not a fluke. It is the result of consistent investment in research, innovation, and people. Nigeria has better soil, better weather, and more land. What we lack is the structure to unleash our potential.
In conclusion, we must ask ourselves:
Do we want food security or food aid?
Do we want to be a net exporter or remain import-dependent?
Do we want to keep our youth idle or engage them as nation-builders?
Let us fast. Let us pray. But let us also build.
Olamide Alao-Akala is the Founder and CEO of UMèRA Farms Nigeria Limited, a cooperative-based agribusiness operating in Oyo State. UMèRA specialises in cashew, oil palm, aquaculture, and youth agricultural empowerment through training and sustainable development.
