By Abdul Lauya
In a bold push to transform Nigeria’s agricultural landscape, President Bola Tinubu on Monday launched 2,000 tractors for mechanised farming under the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, marking what he described as the beginning of Nigeria’s “agricultural renaissance.”
The commissioning, held at the National Agricultural Seeds Council in Sheda, Abuja, drew key stakeholders across sectors, including representatives of farmers’ cooperatives, members of the National Assembly, and international partners.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement in Abuja, said the initiative is a cornerstone of the Tinubu administration’s agenda to ensure national food security through technology-driven agriculture.
“This is not just about machines; it’s about modernising our food systems, empowering farmers, and creating a stable economy,” Onanuga stated. “The President is delivering on his promise to make agriculture a major pillar of national development.”
The tractors, sourced through a bilateral agreement with Belarus and implemented via AfTrade DMCC, come with 10 combine harvesters, 12 mobile workshops, 9,000 implements, and 9,000 spare part kits. The rollout is expected to support over 550,000 farming households, create over 16,000 jobs, and help cultivate more than 550,000 hectares of farmland.
President Tinubu described the programme as a historic moment, acknowledging the involvement of his former classmate, Belarusian businessman Alex Sigman, who played a key role in facilitating the partnership.
Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Karankevich, representing President Alexander Lukashenko, praised the strategic collaboration, saying Belarus is committed to building local capacity through future phases involving service centres, assembly plants, and grain storage complexes.
Onanuga added that the scale of the programme, described by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, as the largest in Nigeria’s history, includes provisions for GPS tracking, operator training, and structured repayment systems to ensure accountability.
Analysts say the partnership reflects a broader shift in Nigeria’s international agricultural engagement, moving from aid dependence to technology exchange and infrastructure-building. However, experts caution that without effective local implementation and equipment maintenance, gains may fall short of expectations.
