FG seals AI deal with Morocco

Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Morocco to establish a satellite- and artificial intelligence-powered agricultural monitoring platform. This initiative aims to equip Nigerian states and local governments with real-time data and intelligence concerning the nation's agricultural land, crop distribution, production performance, and potential food security risks.

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The problems we face should not define the limits of our ambition. They should inspire us to develop the technologies, institutions, and capabilities required to overcome them.

The agreement was signed by Ibrahim Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Ben Guerir, Morocco. He represented Vice President Kashim Shettima, who chairs the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit. The deal involves OCP Africa, a Morocco-based phosphate giant, and Ground Truth Analytics, a geospatial technology firm.

This collaboration marks the launch of Nigeria's first national crop monitoring system powered by satellite technology. It also formalizes the National Agro-Productivity System (NAPS), designed to deliver AI-generated intelligence on crop yields, land availability, and food security threats nationwide to federal and state governments.

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Agriculture is being transformed by data, precision agriculture, artificial intelligence and geospatial technologies. Nigeria must build the capability not only to adopt these innovations but also to continually improve them, adapt them to our own context, and develop solutions that respond to our national priorities.

Hadejia emphasized that Nigeria must not only adopt emerging agricultural technologies but also develop its own capabilities to adapt and improve them for national conditions. He stated that the platform will strengthen seasonal planning, agricultural investment, productivity monitoring, and policy coordination by providing timely and actionable intelligence for better decision-making.

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It will strengthen seasonal planning, agricultural investment, productivity monitoring and policy coordination by providing Federal and State Governments with timely, reliable, and actionable agricultural intelligence to support better decision-making.

The ambition behind NAPS extends beyond technology deployment, aiming to build a Nigerian capability that is context-specific, managed by local institutions, supported by Nigerian expertise, and sustained through knowledge transfer and capacity development. This partnership positions Nigeria to leverage advanced technologies for improved agricultural productivity and food security.

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Our ambition goes beyond the deployment of technology. We seek to build a Nigerian capability that is adapted to our conditions, understood and managed by our institutions, supported by Nigerian expertise, and sustained through knowledge transfer, institutional capacity development, and co