By Agrobroadcast Team
A nationwide farmers’ coalition has signalled its readiness to help drive the Federal Government’s grassroots development push, offering its network and digital infrastructure to support the implementation of the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme across the country.
The proposal was presented during a meeting in Abuja between the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, and a delegation from the Crop, Aquaculture, Livestock Farmers and Value Chain Economic Actors Association of Nigeria (CALFAN), led by its National President, Aliyu Abdulraheem.
Receiving the delegation, Bagudu described the programme as a major effort by the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reshape Nigeria’s development framework by shifting focus to the ward level and fostering stronger cooperation among federal, state and local governments.
According to the minister, the initiative is also designed to broaden participation in national development by engaging citizens, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector in what he described as a “whole-of-society” approach.
He stressed that sustained dialogue between government institutions and organised stakeholders is essential to advancing the country’s development agenda, noting that the ministry remains open to partnerships that can enhance policy delivery.
“The Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme aims to concentrate development planning at the ward level, which is the lowest administrative unit in Nigeria’s governance structure,” Bagudu said.
He noted that although Nigeria’s constitution assigns development responsibilities to the three tiers of government, coordination among them has often been weak, leading to duplication of efforts, inefficiencies and disruptions in development initiatives.
The programme, unveiled last year by President Tinubu, seeks to address those challenges by aligning interventions across the three tiers of government while empowering communities to identify and pursue their own economic priorities.
Bagudu explained that Nigeria has 8,809 wards, each with distinct economic potentials that can be unlocked through targeted interventions.
“Our belief is that every ward in Nigeria is an acre of diamonds waiting to be uncovered,” he said. “Each community has its own strengths and potential, and development strategies must reflect these distinctive qualities.”
Under the initiative, communities will identify priority economic opportunities within their wards, after which the federal, state and local governments, alongside development partners, will provide support to enable those opportunities to thrive.
The minister emphasised that human capital remains the most valuable resource of any community, stressing that development planning must begin with a clear understanding of the people, skills and productive capacities within each locality.
He added that decentralised initiatives such as the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme would be crucial in advancing the administration’s ambition of transforming Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy.
Also speaking at the meeting, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Deborah Odoh, commended CALFAN for its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
She noted that agriculture remains central to Nigeria’s economic transformation, contributing significantly to food security, employment generation, rural development and economic diversification.
“The Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme aims to unlock economic opportunities at the grassroots level by supporting community-driven initiatives that can boost productivity and prosperity within each ward across the federation,” she said.
Odoh added that partnerships with organised groups like CALFAN could enhance programme delivery and deepen engagement with farmers, cooperatives, producers and other stakeholders across the agricultural value chain.
In response, Abdulraheem said CALFAN was prepared to serve as a field-level implementation partner for the initiative, highlighting the association’s extensive grassroots structure, including its Ward-Level Extension Service Offices (WESOs).
He also presented a digital platform developed by the association to support real-time beneficiary identification, community mobilisation, data collection and monitoring of development activities.
According to the presentation, the platform would facilitate economic mapping of rural communities, infrastructure assessments, digital surveys and real-time data gathering to support evidence-based policy decisions.
CALFAN said its approach covers the entire agricultural value chain, including farmers, input suppliers, processors, transporters, traders and service providers.
The meeting concluded with both parties expressing appreciation for the dialogue and committing to further engagement aimed at strengthening collaboration in the implementation of the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme and advancing Nigeria’s broader economic development agenda.