The Ministry of Finance Incorporated is set to take over the management of the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative from the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, marking the end of the NSIA’s near-decade stewardship of one of the Federal Government’s most impactful agricultural interventions.
At the PFI Stakeholder Forum in Abuja on Friday, NSIA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, formally handed over the programme, describing the event as “honouring nearly a decade of positive impact, strategic partnership, growth and reform.”
“The PFI is a model of what collaboration between public institutions and the private sector can achieve,” Umar-Sadiq said. “We remain committed to strategic partnerships that enhance positive socio-economic outcomes for Nigerians.”
Launched in 2016 to address inefficiencies in the fertiliser supply chain and cut dependence on imports, the PFI has expanded the number of operational blending plants from four in 2016 to over 90 by July 2025.
Under the initiative, more than 128 million bags of blended high-quality fertiliser have been delivered to Nigerian farmers, creating over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.
“This transition is not an end, but a continuation of a success story,” Umar-Sadiq said. “We will keep working on initiatives that drive sustainable growth and optimise outcomes for Nigerians.”
Umar-Sadiq noted that despite global supply chain shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, foreign exchange volatility, and the devaluation of the naira, the PFI maintained steady supply and stable prices for fertiliser, ensuring farmers were not stranded during planting seasons.
He credited this resilience to close cooperation with stakeholders and efficient supply chain management that shielded the programme from the worst effects of international market instability.
He also recalled recent restructuring to ensure long-term financial and operational sustainability, including the introduction of wet-blend technology, expansion into underserved regions, and greater private sector participation.
MOFI’s Managing Director, Dr Armstrong Takang, praised the NSIA’s handling of the programme.
“The PFI-NPK programme has transformed Nigeria’s fertiliser ecosystem from expanding domestic blending capacity to advancing food security. The journey ahead requires greater effort and deeper stakeholder engagement,” he said.
Takang outlined MOFI’s priorities, including tackling adulteration and diversion of raw materials, and introducing a “robust traceability system and infrastructure and practices to make sure that we are able to trace the raw materials from the port or the point of production to the blenders and from the blenders to the farmers.”
He said this would enable the identification of sources of adulterated materials so enforcement agencies could take necessary action.
Takang stressed the need to safeguard the integrity of the agricultural industry by ensuring that only fertiliser of the right quality reaches farmers.
He emphasised that the programme’s expansion from four to over 90 blending plants had helped establish and sustain businesses nationwide, and called for self-regulation among blenders alongside official enforcement to keep the market free of substandard inputs.
Takang explained that both NSIA and MOFI teams had been working closely on a phased transition plan, with MOFI to fully take over in January 2026 and launch “PFI 3.0” on the foundation laid by NSIA.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, said that increased food production is a responsibility shared by all Nigerians.
Speaking through the Director of Farm Input Support Services, Waziri Abba, he said the ministry’s mandate was to guarantee food security and drive agricultural development through effective policies and the timely provision of quality inputs such as fertiliser.
Kyari explained that the National Fertiliser Quality Control Act 2019 provided the framework for ensuring product quality and accessibility, adding that intervention through the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative had been critical in addressing years of inadequate production, inefficient distribution and poor-quality products.
He stressed the need for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to ensure sufficient production, timely distribution and rigorous quality monitoring, noting that the government remained committed to boosting efficiency in food production to meet the demands of the country’s growing population.
