Oluwafunbi Bello 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has announced plans to expand financial and technical support for women farmers as part of efforts to increase agricultural productivity, improve food security and close the resource gap affecting female producers across Nigeria.
The bank disclosed the initiative in a statement issued on Monday, saying women farmers continue to face significant barriers, including limited access to credit, mechanisation, modern technology, farm inputs and markets.
BOA said removing these obstacles would enable women to participate more effectively in agricultural production and value chains.
According to the bank, women account for up to 70 per cent of Nigeria’s agricultural workforce, citing estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, yet World Bank data shows that only three per cent of female farmers are formally enrolled in financial systems, compared with 10 per cent of male farmers.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BOA, Ayodeji Sotinrin, said agricultural financing should go beyond loan disbursement.
He stressed that farmers also require access to quality inputs, mechanisation, markets and extension support to translate financing into higher productivity.
As part of the intervention, BOA recently distributed agricultural inputs to women farmers in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory after engaging them to better understand their production challenges.
The bank said the initiative forms part of a broader strategy to provide support throughout the farming cycle rather than focusing solely on credit.
BOA also highlighted its Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund, through which it is partnering with farmer aggregation companies to integrate more than two million smallholder farmers into a structured Federal Government-backed financing programme.
The bank disclosed that a ₦250 billion single-digit interest financing facility is being deployed for smallholder farmers, while its ongoing ₦1.5 trillion recapitalisation will significantly expand agricultural lending capacity.
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Hope Ajayi 
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