Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: agribusiness

  • Nigerian Government Unveils Sweeping Fiscal Reforms to Stimulate Small Businesses

    Nigerian Government Unveils Sweeping Fiscal Reforms to Stimulate Small Businesses

    The Federal Government has introduced a new package of tax incentives and fiscal waivers designed to ease the burden on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially businesses with annual turnover below N50 million.

    The policy, approved at the Federal Executive Council meeting, includes a two-year tax holiday for tech startups and agribusinesses, along with simplified filing to curb multiple taxation and encourage informal businesses to adopt formal channels.

    Officials also disclosed a low-interest credit facility to be managed by the Bank of Industry, positioning the reforms as a jobs-and-production strategy for a manufacturing chain strained by high operating costs.

    Echotitbits take: These reforms are a direct response to rising inflation and the high cost of doing business. While the tax holiday is welcome, success will hinge on eliminating the ‘hidden taxes’ of weak infrastructure and logistics bottlenecks. Watch for implementation guidelines from FIRS in the coming weeks.
    Source: Kuda  – https://kuda.com/blog/nigeria-2026-tax-reform-what-it-means-for-your-money-and-business/ 2026-01-27

    Photo Credit: Kuda

  • The Gambia’s national university renames its agriculture school after Akinwumi Adesina

    The Gambia’s national university renames its agriculture school after Akinwumi Adesina

    The Gambia’s national university renames its agriculture school after Akinwumi Adesina

    According to Africa Newsroom (via APO Group), the University of The Gambia has renamed its School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences in honour of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, citing his long-standing impact on agriculture and development across Africa.

    The move positions the faculty as a symbolic rallying point for food-security research, climate-smart agriculture, and youth-focused agripreneurship—areas that continue to dominate policy conversations across West Africa.

    It also signals a reputational bet: when institutions attach a global development figure’s name to a school, stakeholders expect the standard to rise—through partnerships, research output, and funding.

    Punch also reported the renaming and quoted Adesina’s reaction, including the phrase “deep sense of gratitude.” The Guardian Nigeria similarly confirmed the development, noting the university “renamed its School” in his honour.

    Echotitbits take:
    This is soft power turning into institutional opportunity. Watch for what follows the ceremony—new grants, exchange programmes, and targeted research labs that can turn the name into measurable outcomes.

    Source: The Punch — January 2, 2026 — https://punchng.com/the-gambia-varsity-renames-faculty-after-ex-afdb-president-adesina/
    The Punch 2026-01-02

    Photo Credit: The Punch

  • NIRSAL says 2025 credit guarantees crossed ₦100bn as banks expand agribusiness lending

    NIRSAL says 2025 credit guarantees crossed ₦100bn as banks expand agribusiness lending

    2025-12-29 09:00:00
    According to Punch, NIRSAL Plc says it is closing out 2025 with more than ₦100bn in approved credit guarantees for agriculture and agribusiness loans, positioning the guarantees as a de-risking tool that helps banks back projects they would normally avoid.

    The milestone is framed as part of a broader push to widen formal credit into farming, processing, logistics and market access—areas often constrained by price volatility, climate risk and weak collateral structures.

    The claim lands amid persistent concerns about food inflation and supply disruptions, where policymakers and lenders are searching for instruments that can crowd-in private capital rather than rely solely on direct public spending.

    The core message is that credit can scale faster when the risk is shared—especially for value-chain activities that are commercially viable but too risky for traditional underwriting.

    BusinessDay also reported the milestone, noting that NIRSAL “approved credit guarantees covering more than ₦100 billion… in 2025,” while The Guardian similarly wrote that NIRSAL “has closed 2025 with over ₦100 billion in approved credit guarantees.”

    Echotitbits take: If the guarantee pipeline is real and transparent, the next question is where the credit actually landed—by crop, region and borrower type—and what default ratios look like. Watch for independent portfolio data and sector-by-sector breakdowns.

    Source: BusinessDay — https://businessday.ng/news/article/nirsal-guarantees-record-%E2%82%A6100bn-in-agriculture-lending/#:~:text=The%20Nigeria%20Incentive%2DBased%20Risk,risk%2Dsharing%20tools%20to%20expand – December 29, 2025
    BusinessDay 2025-12-29

    Photo Credit: BusinessDay

  • NIRSAL highlights wider 2013–2025 impact: ₦290bn+ finance facilitated and jobs claims

    NIRSAL highlights wider 2013–2025 impact: ₦290bn+ finance facilitated and jobs claims

    2025-12-28 09:00:00
    Figures cited by The Nation show NIRSAL says it facilitated over ₦290bn in finance between 2013 and 2025 across production, processing, logistics, market development and exports, alongside job and beneficiary impact claims.

    NIRSAL positions its role as facilitation rather than direct lending—using risk-sharing, guarantees and technical assistance to help banks and partners extend credit to agribusiness segments seen as too risky.

    The narrative is reinforced in NIRSAL’s communications, where it frames credit guarantees as a mechanism that expands partner financial institutions’ appetite for agriculture lending.

    Set against Nigeria’s food-security pressures, the big question is whether the cumulative numbers translate to measurable productivity gains or mainly reflect credit intermediation and programme counting.

    The Nation reported NIRSAL “has facilitated more than N290 billion” in finance, while NIRSAL communications said it was “closing 2025… with… credit guarantees for over N100 billion” in agriculture and agribusiness.

    Echotitbits take: Impact claims need independent verification. Watch for audited portfolio outcomes, borrower performance data and state-by-state breakdowns—especially default rates and whether credit reached smallholders or stayed concentrated in large firms.

    Source: The Nation — https://thenationonlineng.net/nirsal-facilitates-over-n100bn-in-2025-drives-159-jobs/ — December 28, 2025
    The Nation 2025-12-28

    Photo Credit: The Nation

  • IITA, IFAD and Partners to Train 30,000 Nigerian Agripreneurs

    IITA, IFAD and Partners to Train 30,000 Nigerian Agripreneurs

    Photo Credit:Punch Newspapers

    The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and other partners have launched a programme to empower 30,000 Nigerian agripreneurs. The initiative will provide training, mentorship and access to finance for youths involved in crop production, processing and agritech ventures.

    Project coordinators say the goal is to make agriculture more attractive and profitable, reduce rural‑urban migration and support food security. The programme will target value chains with strong market demand, while promoting climate‑smart practices and digital tools for farm management.

    Source: Punch Newspapers – 12 Dec 2025

    2025-12-12 10:00:00 Punch Newspapers – 12 Dec 2025 2025-12-12