•As farmers, investors lack reliable information

By Cynthia Alo

A new study by the Nigeria Agribusiness Data and Investment Hub (NADIH), an initiative of Lagos Business School in partnership with Augmentum Advisory, has revealed that although government institutions control about 70 percent of agricultural datasets in Nigeria, much of the information is outdated and inadequate for farmers, investors and policymakers.

The findings were unveiled in Lagos, during the formal launch of the Nigeria Agribusiness Data and Investment Forum with the theme, “Building Decision-Grade Agriculture Data Systems in Nigeria: From Fragmentation to Coordination.”

Presenting the findings, the research team said fragmentation across institutions has weakened Nigeria’s ability to generate quality information needed for investment and policy decisions.

The report identified inadequate funding and manpower as major constraints to data collection, accounting for 56 percent of the challenges faced by data providers.

“No single source can anchor ongoing sustainability. As such, blended models are a necessary opportunity to coordinate across key ecosystem players for efficient resource allocation,” the team said.

In her welcome address, Dean and Professor of Information Systems at Lagos Business School, Prof. Olayinka David-West, said poor data quality continues to undermine investment decisions across the agricultural value chain.

“If somebody wants to invest in cassava and asks where to go and what infrastructure exists, we do not have those answers. Sometimes the data exists but it is already 10 years old,” she said.

However, reacting to the challenges outlined by the team, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, said the country’s major problem is neither funding nor absence of data but the high level of informality within the food system.

Olusanya noted that many traders and market operators are reluctant to provide accurate information because they fear government interference and extortion.

“You can enter markets and collect names and phone numbers, but you may discover that more than half of the information given is incorrect because people are afraid of how the data will be used. People will only give accurate data when they see incentives and confidence in the system. Without that, we are simply on a wild goose chase,” she said.

She added, “We have politicised every sector. Even some people presented as farmers are political farmers. Many association leaders do not own farms, yet they head farmers’ groups because of the benefits attached to intervention programmes.”

Also speaking, a Director at the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr. Adeniji Adedeji, said the ministry is implementing a National Livestock Growth and Acceleration Strategy targeting growth of livestock’s GDP contribution to $74 billion over the next 10 years, with data and statistics as one of its core pillars.

He disclosed that the ministry recently developed a National Livestock Information Management System to warehouse and analyse livestock-related data for decision-making.

However, he noted that the ministry relies on data from state veterinary departments which has become increasingly unreliable, as disease surveillance officers across many states have retired without replacement.

He added that some state officials deliberately under-report data fearing it would reduce their share of federal allocations, while some development organisations collect data and take it out of the country without sharing with relevant authorities.

On his part, Statistician-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics, Dr. Baba Bukar, called for greater investment in sub-national data systems and wider adoption of technology tools such as satellite imagery and mobile data collection.

He said the value of such investment helped the state identify food insecurity hotspots in some of the local government areas, enabling the state government to direct resources based on evidence rather than political considerations.

Also speaking, Director-General of the Nigerian Agribusiness Group, Mr. Jafar Umar, said Nigeria has relied for too long on foreign-generated agricultural statistics, leaving investors without the reliable local information needed to make informed decisions.

He said the group is partnering with states to develop market-level transaction data that can support investment decisions and strengthen agricultural planning across the country.

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