Victoria Mbangwa
The Federal Government has launched the National Electronic Extension Platform (NEEP), a digital initiative designed to enhance agricultural extension services and improve food security by providing farmers with easy access to vital agricultural information.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, inaugurated the NEEP back-end office in Abuja, emphasizing its potential to address the long-standing challenges in extension service delivery.
The platform is designed to provide real-time, interactive, and cost-effective solutions to farmers, bypassing issues such as insecurity and logistical constraints.
One of the key challenges facing Nigerian agriculture is the extremely low extension agent-to-farmer ratio, which currently stands at 1:25,000. This imbalance has hindered effective dissemination of modern farming techniques, leading to lower productivity. With NEEP, farmers will have instant access to expert advice, innovative farming techniques, and best practices without the need for physical contact with extension agents.
“Farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector will now have access to good and impactful agricultural information on real-time basis as the platform is interactive, cost effective, and bypasses the risk of insecurity associated with extension service delivery in the country.” Abdullahi stated.
NEEP is designed to be accessible in multiple languages, including English, Pidgin, Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, making it inclusive for farmers with limited formal education. The platform allows farmers to ask questions and receive real-time responses from agricultural experts.
Director of the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension Service, Dr. Deola Tayo Lordbanjou, highlighted that the platform would enhance the practical application of research findings by Agricultural Research Institutes, ensuring that innovations reach farmers in a structured and effective manner.
“The research is crucial to the agricultural development of any nation and that the beauty of the efforts made by Agricultural Research Institutes is fully realized through a well-structured extension service.” Lordbanjou said.
The launch of NEEP aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes national food security as a cornerstone of economic development. The government hopes that by leveraging digital technology, Nigeria can increase agricultural output, reduce post-harvest losses, and improve rural livelihoods.
The event concluded with the official unveiling of the NEEP Back-End Office, signaling the beginning of a new era in Nigerian agricultural extension services. Farmers across the country are expected to start benefiting from the platform immediately.
With this digital intervention, the Federal Government aims to empower farmers, enhance productivity, and secure Nigeria’s food future—one digital interaction at a time.
