By Abdullahi Lukman
President Bola Tinubu on Monday officially launched a landmark agricultural mechanisation programme by commissioning 2,000 tractors for nationwide deployment, marking a bold step toward modernising Nigeria’s farming sector and ensuring long-term food security.
The inauguration took place at the National Agricultural Seeds Council in Sheda, Abuja, under the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme.
The tractors, acquired through a strategic partnership with the Republic of Belarus, will be distributed via a service-provider model aimed at empowering smallholder farmers with modern machinery.
This initiative is designed to reduce manual labour, boost crop yields, and enhance rural livelihoods across Nigeria.
President Tinubu described the launch as the beginning of Nigeria’s agricultural renaissance, declaring that mechanisation is central to national stability, food sovereignty, and the ambition to position Nigeria as a global agricultural powerhouse.
“We are fulfilling our promise to tackle the food security crisis with innovative solutions,” he said.
The programme is projected to cultivate over 550,000 hectares of farmland, produce more than 2 million metric tons of staple foods, create upwards of 16,000 new jobs, and directly benefit over half a million farming households.
It includes mandatory training for operators, GPS-enabled tracking for transparency, and support for research and training institutions.
Agriculture Minister Abubakar Kyari highlighted the scale and ambition of this mechanisation drive, calling it the largest ever undertaken in Nigeria.
He noted that it complements other key initiatives under the Tinubu administration, including the John Deere Tractorisation Programme and the Green Imperative.
Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Viktor Karenkevich, representing President Alexander Lukashenko, applauded Nigeria’s efforts and confirmed Belarus’ commitment to expanding the partnership through further phases.
Plans include establishing local assembly plants, maintenance centres, grain storage facilities, and comprehensive training programmes for Nigerian youth.
The commissioning ceremony attracted key political leaders, legislators, farmers’ representatives, and development partners, reflecting widespread support for the government’s push to modernise agriculture and achieve sustainable food sovereignty.
President Tinubu urged Nigerians to embrace and actively participate in this transformation, saying, “Let history remember this day as the start of a new era where technology meets the resilience of our farmers to create lasting prosperity.”