The Federal Government, in partnership with the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive and Development Initiative (NWAPDI), has launched the Sovereign AgroTrade System (SAS), a digital agricultural marketplace designed to revolutionise farming, boost food security, and empower women and youth across Nigeria.
Speaking at the launch held at the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria Auditorium, Mabushi, Abuja, on Thursday, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, represented by his Senior Assistant on Strategy, Mohammed Sani, described the digital AgroTrade platform as a movement designed by Nigerians, for Nigerians, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to the Minister, SAS will address long-standing challenges faced by smallholder farmers, particularly rural women and youth, by connecting them directly to buyers, financial services, and global markets while reducing dependence on exploitative middlemen.
“Through NWAPDI Grow, farmers can access microloans, cooperative financing, savings platforms, and mobile payments directly from their phones. This is financial inclusion redefined, bringing banking to the bush and banking on our people’s success,” Abdullahi stated.
The digital AgroTrade platform includes four key tools: AgriXchange Marketplace, which enables direct trading and online auctions; NWAPDI Grow, which provides farmers with financial services; AgriCert, which offers quality certification and traceability; and FarmAssure, which supports data-driven farm management.
Abdullahi commended NWAPDI for its bold vision and tenacity, pledging the Federal Government’s full support to scale the system nationwide and integrate its data into the national agricultural strategy.
NWAPDI National Coordinator, Omolara Svensson, described the launch as the fulfilment of a vision planted over a year ago, rooted in her own struggles as a farmer.
“SAS is not just a technology; it is a promise, a promise that our farmers will no longer be at the mercy of middlemen, volatile markets, and unreliable payment systems,” Svensson said.
She noted that the platform would help farmers “move from subsistence to prosperity,” keep Nigerian youth in agriculture, and transform communities by creating wealth from the soil.
Svensson also appreciated the support of partners, including Norcom LLC, BIPOWER, Terra FinTech, the Bank of Agriculture, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
The launch attracted stakeholders, including community leaders, state and local government coordinators, agricultural agencies, and private sector partners.
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