- The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is collaborating with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to launch a data-capturing initiative for Nigerian farmers. This project aims to enhance the distribution of agricultural inputs and provide targeted support to farmers.
- During the inauguration of a Technical Working Group (TWG) on farmers' data capturing, Permanent Secretary Temitope Fashedemi outlined the initiative’s objectives. The committee will develop a detailed work plan with clear timelines, roles, and responsibilities for each project phase.
- The initiative will design robust data collection tools and methodologies to gather essential farmer information, including personal identification, farm size, and crop types. It will also identify training programs for field officers and data collectors to ensure data accuracy and consistency.
The committee will also establish clear terms and conditions for the collaboration between the Ministry and NIMC. Members of the committee are from the technical departments of the Ministry and NIMC.
Fashedemi emphasised that this initiative is vital for the future of agriculture in Nigeria, aiming to create a comprehensive and accurate farmer database. He noted that the partnership with NIMC is crucial for achieving this goal.
This development comes on the heels of the country’s plans to launch an app to train farmers on the best farming practices and guide their operations.
Dr Peter Iwegbu, Director of the Card Management Services Department at NIMC, highlighted the commission’s role in establishing and managing the national identity database. He explained that the programme would enable the government to better manage agricultural interventions, validate soil quality, and accurately target support to farmers.
While this development is promising for the agricultural sector, the NIMC has recently faced several challenges, including infrastructural constraints and logistical issues in the NIN enrolment process.
The most recent issue involves a data breach where several unauthorised platforms held and sold Nigerian citizens' sensitive personal and financial data for as little as ₦100. This led the commission to flag five websites.
