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By Daniel Adaji
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, has challenged officers of the ministry to translate recent capacity-building efforts into measurable improvements in performance, service delivery and tangible benefits for Nigerian farmers.
He gave the charge on Monday at the opening ceremony of a four-day Capacity Building Workshop in Abuja, where officers of the ministry were trained on the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) Approach and other strategic agricultural initiatives aimed at strengthening food security.
Addressing participants, Ogunbiyi stressed that training alone was not enough, warning that its real value would only be seen through concrete outcomes on the field. “The true value lies in improved performance, better service delivery and tangible outcomes for Nigerian farmers and agribusiness,” he said, urging officers to ensure that the knowledge gained does not end with the workshop.
The workshop, organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, focused on repositioning the agricultural sector as a driver of food security, economic diversification, employment generation and national stability.
According to Ogunbiyi, the SHEP approach is designed to fundamentally change the mindset of smallholder farmers from subsistence practices to agribusiness orientation.
He stated that the approach would move farmers from “grow and sell” to “grow to sell” business thinking by improving incomes through enhanced technical skills and better market access. This, he noted, would be achieved through farmer-led market surveys, gender partnership and business linkage development, ultimately turning farming into a profitable enterprise.
Ogunbiyi noted that the training aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and its priority of achieving sustainable food security while reducing poverty through inclusive agricultural growth. He described the programme as a deliberate investment in human capital, aimed at strengthening the technical backbone of the ministry and improving its ability to deliver results.
The Permanent Secretary added that the capacity-building programme covers critical thematic areas central to modern agricultural governance and effective service delivery. He commended “the well thought out modules included in this programme like improving agricultural and pastoral practices, modern extension methodologies, climate smart approaches , strengthened monitoring and evaluation systems, policy formulation, contract farming and the SHEP approach.”
According to him, “Collectively these areas are expected to promote all year round crop production, address food shortages, create employment opportunities, support climate adaption, and ensure that development initiatives are guided by sound evidence and reliable data.”
Reaffirming the ministry’s commitment, Ogunbiyi assured participants that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security remains firmly focused on achieving food security in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In his remarks, the SPRiNGS Coordinator, Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, represented by the Head, Research and Evidence, SPRING LEAD, Mr. Ephraim Enuch, said the organisation would continue to work closely with the ministry. He noted that the partnership would focus on strengthening extension services, monitoring and evaluation, data systems and policy formulation within the agricultural ecosystem.