By Faridat Salifu
Efforts to transform Nigeria agriculture sector are increasingly being framed as an economic productivity issue, with policymakers pushing for stronger inclusion of women as a driver of national growth.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said the country’s agri-food system cannot deliver full economic value unless women are deliberately integrated into its structure.
Speaking at the launch of the CGIAR Policy Innovation Hub in Nigeria and a high-level dialogue organised by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Abuja, she argued that gender gaps in agriculture represent lost productivity rather than only social inequality.
She said women remain central to food production and distribution, but face structural constraints that reduce their contribution to national output and food security.
According to her, excluding women from access to land, finance, and agricultural technology continues to limit efficiency across the entire value chain.
She stressed that agricultural reform must move beyond production alone and expand into processing, storage, logistics, and export systems where greater economic value is created.
The minister also called for stronger coordination between government institutions, research bodies, private investors, and grassroots cooperatives to avoid fragmented interventions that weaken impact.
She noted that policy success should be measured through real economic outcomes such as improved incomes, stronger enterprises, and expanded market access rather than administrative reporting.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim further said initiatives like Women Agro Value Expansion (WAVE) are aimed at shifting women from subsistence farming into more commercially viable roles within agriculture.
Analysts say this approach signals a policy shift where gender inclusion is being positioned not only as a social goal but as a key lever for boosting agricultural productivity and strengthening food systems.
They add that Nigeria’s broader agricultural reform agenda is increasingly focused on unlocking underutilised labour and improving efficiency across the value chain to support food security and economic resilience.
