NASC, PIND Partnership Targets Investment, Seed Enterprise Growth in Niger Delta
ABUJA — The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) have signed a two-year agreement aimed at expanding certified seed production, strengthening local seed enterprises and opening new investment opportunities in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at NASC’s headquarters in Abuja, builds on collaboration between the two organisations dating back to 2016 and seeks to scale community-based seed production and improve farmers’ access to quality planting materials across the Niger Delta.
The partnership brings together NASC’s regulatory and quality-assurance responsibilities with PIND’s experience in enterprise development, technical support and market linkages.
Speaking at the signing, NASC Director-General, Fatuhu Muhammed, said the collaboration would extend certification and inspection services to more communities while helping to protect farmers from poor-quality planting materials.
He said stronger quality-assurance systems would also provide a more reliable foundation for investment and growth in Nigeria’s domestic seed industry.
For PIND, the partnership provides an opportunity to move successful community-level interventions into a broader institutional framework.
PIND Executive Director, Sam Ogbemi Daibo, said the organisation’s experience had shown that many farmers still face difficulty accessing certified planting materials when and where they are needed.
The new framework will support the expansion of NASC-certified community seed multiplication in the Niger Delta. NASC will provide certification and quality assurance, while PIND will support enterprise development, technical assistance and market connections.
The partners will also expand the Licensed Seed Inspectors Scheme in the region, while encouraging domestic production of high-demand vegetable seeds, including tomato, pepper and cucumber.
Another area of focus is improving access to planting materials for cassava, banana and yam, creating opportunities for businesses involved in production, distribution, processing and agricultural services.
The agreement will also support efforts to strengthen community seed enterprises and connect farmers with formal seed markets, potentially creating additional opportunities for small businesses and agricultural investors across the Niger Delta.
The first major joint deliverable under the partnership will be the Nigeria Seed Systems Forum 2026 in Abuja, which is expected to bring together policymakers, regulators, researchers, investors, seed companies, development partners and farmers to discuss investment, policy and market development in the seed sector.
A Joint Technical Working Group comprising representatives of NASC and PIND will coordinate implementation and monitor progress under the agreement.
The partnership is expected to contribute to a more commercially sustainable seed ecosystem by linking regulation, production, enterprise development and markets, while improving the availability of quality planting materials to farmers.
Source: BusinessDay
