Under the close supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has commenced a job and wealth creation programme. This is to cater to the financial needs of 130 farmers, through the provision of N100,000 seed fundings.
The programme- National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA)- is in line with the government’s drive to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, and it will start with seed fundings for 130 farmers in Jigawa state.
The major target of the programme is the adoption of farmers in 774 LGAs across the Nigeria. It also aims to open the platform to all agriculture players within the ecosystem. Also, this will facilitate access to local and international markets, as well as reduce the cost of production, access to information, and improve productivity.
With this new development, farmers expect that this will enhance their mode of operation. More so, it will help build better and sustainable business models and improve their digital footprint in the Industry. Also, it will give them more access to business opportunities that will create not less than 6 million well-paying jobs in the next 10 years. “NAVSA Platform is aimed at digitalizing agriculture to drive the digital economy. This is part of President Buhari’s agenda to leverage technology and innovation to revolutionize the agriculture value chain,” the statement reads.
The programme which will last from July 1 to July 13, 2020 will in addition, empower farmers with a digital platform, smart devices (tablets), connectivity for data and calls, Digital agripreneurship skills, and enrolment with telecom operators and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for identification.
