Vice president Kashim Shettima: “As part of ongoing efforts to revolutionize the nation’s agriculture sector, the Federal Government on Wednesday signed a financing agreement for the Value Chain Programme in Northern Nigeria (VCN).

“With the signing of the agreement, the implementation of the $158.15 million VCN project begins immediately to support agricultural value chain development and value addition for farmers in nine states in the northern part of the country.

“The initiative is co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the French Development Agency (@AFD_en), and the Government of Nigeria.

“The eight-year initiative, validated on March 21, 2024, was conceived following Vice President Kashim Shettima’s request during the UNFSS Stocktaking Moment in Rome on July 24, 2023, that IFAD should scale up its portfolio in Nigeria and mobilize additional partners and donors to support the agri-food transformation and food security priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“It is expected to sustainably reduce poverty, enhance nutrition, and improve the resilience of rural and vulnerable populations in the nine northern states, which include Borno, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.

“Speaking during the signing ceremony of the financing agreement for the VCN project at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima described the initiative as a product of critical thinking about the economic reality of the northern region.”