The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, State Governors, and Japanese development partners are set to converge in Abuja for a high-level stakeholder workshop hosted by the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA).
Scheduled to hold on April 9, 2026, at Rockview Royale Hotel, Abuja, the summit, themed “SAA @ 40: Deepening Impact and Expanding Reach at Scale,” will bring together policymakers, diplomats, and subnational leaders at a critical time when Nigeria is seeking practical, scalable solutions to food insecurity, low agricultural productivity, and climate-related challenges.
The event also marks the commencement of SAA’s 40th anniversary celebrations, highlighting four decades of advancing smallholder agriculture across sub-Saharan Africa and over three decades of sustained impact in Nigeria.
Leading the Japanese delegation are Shuichi Suzuki, Suzuki Hideo, and Ishigame Keiji, whose participation is expected to reinforce Japan’s growing role in agricultural technology transfer, mechanisation, and investment in Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
On the Nigerian side, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, is expected to deliver keynote remarks and officially unveil SAA’s anniversary activities, while the Ministry of Livestock Development and governors from key agricultural states, including Oyo, Benue, Kano, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Yobe, and Gombe, will participate to deepen collaboration on agropastoral development.
The summit comes amid growing concerns over climate change, soil degradation, weak extension systems, and limited market access, all of which continue to constrain Nigeria’s agricultural productivity and food security outcomes.
Speaking ahead of the workshop, Godwin Atser described the gathering as a strategic platform to align national priorities with development partnerships and field-level realities.
He noted that the engagement would move beyond commemoration to focus on scaling proven solutions and strengthening collaboration among stakeholders working directly with farmers.
Deliberations at the summit will include high-level discussions on private sector participation in agriculture, as well as reflections on outcomes from the Tokyo International Conference on African Development 2025 and their implications for Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda.
Participants will also review results from SAA’s 2021–2025 Strategic Plan, which prioritised regenerative agriculture, market-oriented production, and nutrition-sensitive approaches aimed at improving productivity, resilience, and farmer incomes.
In addition to policy dialogues, the event will feature an exhibition of agricultural technologies by Japanese companies, providing stakeholders with direct access to innovative tools and solutions that can be deployed across Nigeria’s farming systems.
State-level engagement will be a key highlight, with goodwill messages from governors and recognition of longstanding partnerships, including an award to the Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, for sustained collaboration with SAA.
Organisers say the Abuja meeting will serve as a coordination platform for government, development partners, and the private sector to chart the next phase of agricultural growth, while consolidating gains recorded over the years in smallholder farmer development.
