Nigeria, Morocco to seal partnership on agric intelligence, food security

Nigeria is embarking on a strategic partnership with Morocco to bolster its agricultural sector and strengthen national food security. A high-level delegation, led by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, is currently in Morocco to formalize the creation of Nigeria's first National Agro-Productivity System.

This initiative, spearheaded by the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), aims to establish a shared geospatial intelligence platform. According to Marion Moon, Technical Assistant on Agriculture to the President and Executive Secretary of the PFSCU, this platform will equip federal, state, and local governments with critical real-time data. This data will encompass crop locations, land availability, yield projections, and potential food security threats across the nation.

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The future of agriculture depends not only on improved inputs, but equally on stronger intelligence. Through this partnership, Nigeria is strengthening the institutional capabilities needed to plan better, respond faster, and make more informed decisions.

Senator Hadejia is scheduled to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday, July 17, 2026, between the PFSCU, OCP Africa, and Ground Truth Analytics. Moon highlighted that this partnership signifies a paradigm shift in Nigeria's agricultural planning, moving beyond just improved inputs to emphasize stronger intelligence gathering and utilization. "The future of agriculture depends not only on improved inputs, but equally on stronger intelligence," Moon stated.

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It also reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to stronger coordination, recognising that sustainable development is accelerated when institutions work together around shared national priorities.

The initiative reflects the Federal Government's commitment to enhanced coordination and recognizes that sustainable development is accelerated through collaborative efforts around shared national priorities. The National Agro-Productivity System will operate under the National Agribusiness Policy Mechanism, approved by the National Council on Agriculture and Food Security. It is designed to provide timely insights crucial for production planning, food security monitoring, agribusiness investment, early warning systems, and policy development.

The first phase of the project will involve a six-month pilot program in three states. This pilot will focus on localizing the technology through dataset calibration, ground-truthing, and national capacity building. The goal is to establish the necessary technical and institutional foundations before a nationwide rollout. The delegation's visit also includes technical engagements and institutional visits to further strengthen national capacity and support the pilot implementation.

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The initiative will provide Government with timely insights on agricultural land availability, crop location, crop performance, growth stages and expected yield outcomes, strengthening production planning, food security monitoring, agribusiness investment, early warning, and policy development.