The MTN Foundation, in collaboration with the Ogun State Government and the Federal Government, has introduced AgriConnect, a digital agriculture platform designed to support 1,000 smallholder farmers by providing them with mobile-based agricultural solutions.
During the official launch held on Wednesday at the June 12 Cultural Centre in Kuto, Abeokuta, the Executive Director of the MTN Foundation, Mrs. Odunayo Sanya, stated that the project aims to strengthen food production by giving farmers access to essential digital tools and information.
The initiative is a joint effort involving the MTN Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the Ogun State Government, and Huawei Nigeria Ltd.
Explaining the vision behind the project, Sanya said: “AgriConnect is designed to empower smallholder farmers with timely weather forecasts, market information, and farming best practices delivered via mobile technology to help them increase productivity and improve their earnings.”
She emphasized the MTN Foundation’s enduring dedication to advancing Nigeria’s socio-economic progress, disclosing that the Foundation has invested over N32 billion since 2004 in key sectors such as healthcare, skills development, and economic empowerment positively impacting more than 33 million people across the country.
“At the MTN Foundation, we envision a Nigeria where no community is left behind. AgriConnect is a significant step toward making that vision a reality,” she noted.
Also speaking at the event, Governor Dapo Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s strong commitment to agriculture as a key pillar for economic advancement and rural transformation.
“Ogun State is among the states experiencing the slowest increase in food inflation. Our goal goes beyond enhancing output; we are building a comprehensive, tech-enabled system that equips our farmers with real time information and sustainable resources,” the governor stated.
He revealed that 1,000 farmers have been randomly selected from the Ogun State Farmers’ Information Management System—the country’s first digital database of farmers, which currently has 160,000 registered members—to participate in the AgriConnect pilot phase, where they will receive access to digital tools and specialized training.
Governor Abiodun also highlighted key milestones achieved under his administration’s agricultural programmes, stating that 12,466 cassava farmers have benefited from various forms of support, including mechanized services on over 4,000 hectares of farmland.
He further disclosed that the state government had distributed more than 196,000 bundles of cassava stems, close to 7,000 bags of fertilizer, and over 60,000 litres of agrochemicals to assist farmers.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, praised the AgriConnect initiative and underscored the growing relevance of precision farming.
“Modern agriculture relies on data-driven decisions. A delay of even one week in planting can result in considerable losses,” he noted.
Dr. Tijani applauded Ogun State’s integration of weather data into planting strategies and advocated for the expansion of such smart agricultural tools nationwide.
“Nigeria has the potential to achieve self-sufficiency in food production, but unlocking that potential requires the strategic use of innovation,” he said.
“With the President’s goal of cultivating 500,000 hectares of farmland, combined with Ogun State’s advancements in mechanisation and market access for farmers, this initiative marks meaningful progress in the right direction,” he concluded.
