In Nigeria’s growing agriculture sector, horticulture value chain finance has long been an untapped frontier—riddled with risks, structural gaps, and limited access to capital. But a new wave of collaboration is changing that narrative.

At the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), we believe that partnerships build ecosystems. That’s why we proudly stood alongside HortiNigeria — a Dutch-funded program led by IFDC (International Fertilizer Development Center) — at the recently concluded Capacity-Building Training for Banks on the Horticulture Value Chain and Risk Management. This was more than just another workshop; it was a collective leap toward sustainable agribusiness financing in Nigeria.

The Challenge: Unlocking Finance for Nigeria’s Horticulture Value Chain

For too long, horticulture farmers and agripreneurs in Nigeria have faced an uphill battle when it comes to financing their businesses.
The reasons are complex:

• Perishability of produce: Fruits and vegetables often spoil quickly, increasing financial risks.

• Seasonal uncertainties: Weather and market fluctuations disrupt production and income cycles.

• Lack of tailored financial products: Traditional bank loans are not designed for the unique needs of horticulture businesses.

• Perceived high risk by lenders: Financial institutions often lack the technical knowledge to accurately assess risks in the horticulture value chain.

The result? Limited capital, stifled growth, and untapped potential in one of the most lucrative sectors of Nigeria’s agriculture economy.

The Turning Point: Capacity-Building Training That Moves Policy to Practice

The capacity-building training provided a rare opportunity to bring banks, microfinance institutions, development finance organizations, and value chain actors into one room — to learn, to question, and to co-create solutions.

From interactive sessions to technical presentations, participants explored:

• The full length of the horticulture value chain — from farm to market

• Innovative risk management tools tailored to horticulture

• Case studies on successful agribusiness finance models

• Pathways to de-risk lending for agribusiness

• 

  DG NABG , JAFAR UMAR during his goodwillmessage

  How to design inclusive agrifinance products that serve both large-scale farmers and smallholder producers

As our Director General, Jafar Abubakar Umar, rightly noted during his goodwill message:

“The private sector must take center stage in unlocking inclusive finance for agriculture. When financial institutions truly understand farmers, everyone wins.”

The training not only equipped financial professionals with knowledge but ignited a new mindset—a shift from seeing farmers as high-risk borrowers to recognizing them as investable entrepreneurs.

From Gaps to Growth: The Power of Partnerships

This capacity-building initiative demonstrates what can happen when public-private partnerships are intentional, strategic, and forward-thinking.

By working with programs like HortiNigeria, NABG continues to:

• Advocate for policies that enable agribusiness lending.

• Facilitate dialogue between financial institutions and value chain actors.

• Build the technical capacity of banks to understand horticulture value chain finance.

• Foster an environment where agribusiness can thrive beyond subsistence, toward true economic growth.

Redesigning the Financial Future of Agribusiness in Nigeria

The journey to transforming horticulture value chain finance in Nigeria is far from over—but real momentum is building.

With continued engagement from stakeholders, including:

• Banks

• Development partners

• Farmer organizations

• Agritech companies

• Government agencies

… we are redesigning Nigeria’s financial landscape for agribusiness.

✅ From policy to practice
✅ From gaps to growth
✅ From potential to productivity

This is the future we are building at NABG.
#NABG #HortiNigeria #AgribusinessFinance #HorticultureValueChain #FoodSystems #InclusiveFinance #NigeriaAgriculture #AgriLending #PolicyToPractice

DG NABG, Jafar Abubakar Umar in a handshake with the Minister of Agriculture and food security, Sen Abubakar Kyari during the event