The Federal Government has signed a $158.15 million financing agreement to implement the Value Chain Programme in Northern Nigeria (VCN), aiming to transform agriculture and uplift rural livelihoods.
At the signing ceremony held Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Vice President Kashim Shettima described the initiative as a strategic move to address economic challenges in the North and deliver on President Tinubu’s promise to reduce poverty, ensure food security, and restore dignity to Nigerian farmers.
“This is a declaration of faith in the North as a land of abundance,” Shettima said, noting that the programme will benefit farmers in nine states: Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano, Yobe, and Zamfara.
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The VCN project is co-financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Nigerian government.
It will also supply raw materials to the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) being established nationwide.
Shettima reaffirmed the administration’s focus on “people, productivity, and prosperity” as key drivers of national development.
