The Federal Government has declared that aggressive rural mechanisation and the expansion of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) are now core security mandates for the nation.
Speaking at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, during the Prof. Gabriel Ayodele Makanjuola Lecture Series (GAMALS), the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, explained that modern agricultural engineering has been elevated from a supportive farm tool into a primary pillar of national economic transformation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The strategic policy declaration was delivered to mark the 90th birthday celebration of Professor Makanjuola, a legendary pioneer in African agricultural engineering.
Senator Kyari stated that widespread farm mechanisation is no longer treated as an optional luxury but as a vital instrument of state sovereignty.
He emphasised that the administration’s primary objective is to scale down advanced tractorisation and machinery access so it fits directly into the hands of rural smallholders, who continue to serve as the primary source of food production for the country.
The Minister noted that technology only achieves its full potential when it directly removes human drudgery, increases daily farm yields, and restores dignity to local growers.
The lecture spotlighted Professor Makanjuola’s historical contributions to industrial mechanisation, including his trailblazing inventions in localised food processing and post-harvest engineering that secured three distinct British patents, notably for automated yam pounding machinery.
This world-class research foundation directly supports the federal government’s ongoing rollout of the SAPZ model across the federation. Senator Kyari described the SAPZ network as Africa’s premier flagship agro-industrial programme, specifically designed to bring heavy processing plants straight to the clusters where smallholders harvest their crops, thereby cutting down post-harvest waste and turning raw crops into high-value finished goods.
The multi-state agro-industrial rollout is being executed alongside expanded investments in digital agriculture and value-addition infrastructure. Urging the next generation of university-trained engineers to study the nonagenarian’s career as a practical blueprint for national development, the Minister added that enduring institutional growth is built entirely on localised relevance and practical utility rather than mere policy declarations.
The ministry concluded by reaffirming its long-term commitment to constructing a resilient, tech-driven agricultural economy that allows Nigeria to secure its domestic food reserves independently while engaging in international trade from a position of economic strength.
Source: Federal Ministry of Information & National Orientation
