Nigeria Ministry to Use Digital IDs to Verify Farmers

Nigeria's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is set to implement the National Identity Management Commission's (NIMC) digital identity infrastructure. This move aims to accurately identify genuine farmers, ensuring government agricultural interventions reach their intended recipients and bolstering the nation's food security objectives.

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The collaboration will leverage the NIN and NIMC’s identity verification platform to authenticate beneficiaries of government agricultural programmes. This will ensure that interventions are targeted only at genuine farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, announced the plan during a meeting with NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote. The collaboration will leverage the National Identification Number (NIN) and NIMC's verification platform to create a reliable, centralized farmer database. Kyari emphasized that this system will improve transparency in program implementation and encourage greater involvement from women and youth in agriculture.

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It should not be a subsidy that continues indefinitely. Beneficiaries will receive support in the first year, reduced assistance in the second year, and by the third year they should be able to operate independently.

Kyari also detailed a restructured agricultural subsidy program designed to foster self-reliance. "It should not be a subsidy that continues indefinitely," he stated, explaining a phased approach where support decreases over three years. This strategy aims to enable more farmers to benefit from government aid while promoting sustainable agricultural practices and increasing productivity.

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The collaboration will leverage the NIN and NIMC’s identity verification platform to authenticate beneficiaries of government agricultural programmes. This will ensure that interventions are targeted only at genuine farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs.

The partnership is anticipated to ensure that grants, farm inputs, and other support reach authentic beneficiaries, thereby reducing waste and strengthening food security. NIMC's Director-General, Coker-Odusote, highlighted agriculture's strategic importance for Nigeria's food security and economic growth. She noted that the NIMC Act 2026 empowers the commission to provide secure identity verification services, which will improve accountability, curb fraud, and ensure public funds are directed to legitimate farmers.

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It should not be a subsidy that continues indefinitely. Beneficiaries will receive support in the first year, reduced assistance in the second year, and by the third year they should be able to operate independently.