The Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Armstrong Ume Takang, has called for increased investment in agriculture, emphasizing its potential to drive economic growth, ensure food security, and create jobs across Nigeria.
Takang made the appeal at the Integranium Investment Forum’s crop farming roundtable, held in Abuja with the theme “From Seed to Shipment: Redefining the Crop Farming Value Chain.” The forum brought together stakeholders to explore sustainable investment opportunities across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
Highlighting the urgency of the nation’s food crisis, Takang described food security as a core national security concern. “We need to develop the capacity to produce our own food domestically, supported by strong infrastructure, clear policies, and human capital,” he stated.
He noted that MOFI is already investing in the agricultural sector through institutions such as the Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry, and PFI-NPK, and said the newly launched Integranium platform aims to strengthen these efforts by attracting both local and international investors into an integrated ecosystem.
Also speaking, Dr. Femi Ogunseinde, Executive Director of Investments at MOFI, emphasized the importance of achieving food sovereignty a state in which Nigeria not only feeds itself but also generates export surplus.
He called on donor agencies and the private sector to support this vision through increased financial participation.
Ogunseinde also pointed out a major bottleneck hindering Nigeria’s agricultural exports: the absence of a reliable traceability system.
He said MOFI, through Integranium, is already working on international partnerships to establish such a system and align Nigerian produce with global export standards.
“Our goal is to unlock new opportunities for Nigerian farmers and attract sustainable investments that will address structural barriers in the sector,” he said.
In a keynote address, Director-General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr. Abdullateef Shittu, said food security must be seen beyond economics as a matter of national stability.
He commended MOFI for initiating the dialogue at a time when deliberate investment in agriculture is critical.
“This is the conversation we need right now,” he said. “Agriculture is not just about food. It’s about jobs, economic growth, and long-term national stability.”
Shittu added that agricultural growth remains one of the most effective tools for poverty reduction. “If we want to grow the economy from the grassroots, agriculture is the starting point and crop farming is at the center of that strategy,” he concluded.
The roundtable is part of MOFI’s broader strategy to position agriculture as a high-impact sector capable of attracting transformative investments, advancing food sovereignty, and strengthening Nigeria’s economic resilience.
