NADF trains 250 tractor drivers, mechanics

The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has successfully graduated its first cohort of 250 participants from the National Agricultural Mechanisation Service Providers Training Programme (NAMSP). The programme, aimed at bolstering technical skills and improving the sustainability of agricultural machinery deployment nationwide, was designed to train 4,000 tractor drivers and mechanics.

The first phase of the programme trained 250 participants from across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Speaking through a statement, NADF's Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Ibrahim, emphasized that the graduation represented a significant milestone in the Federal Government's drive to modernize agriculture through mechanization, innovation, and human capital development.

The training curriculum covered agricultural mechanization service delivery, machinery and equipment management, occupational safety, enterprise development, sustainable maintenance, environmental conservation, and environmental sustainability. Ibrahim highlighted that the certification by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) would enable graduates to be included in a national database of proficient mechanization service providers.

This database would support long-term investments in agricultural machinery and potentially enable certified providers to handle multimillion-naira agricultural assets. Ibrahim stressed that sustainable mechanization should be measured by the ability to keep machinery operational, productive, and economically viable rather than by the number of tractors or machines acquired.

The NAMSP training forms part of NADF's broader interventions to address constraints in agricultural value chains, alongside the Farm Input Support Programme and the Grassroots Digital Extension Corps initiative. NADF is also investing in modernizing agricultural research institutions through various infrastructure and technology upgrades.

Abdullahi Mohammed, President of the Tractor Owners and Hiring Facilities Association of Nigeria, commended NADF for the comprehensive training, noting that while machinery vendors and manufacturers often provide initial training, service providers, operators, and mechanics also require such training in locations where tractors operate.

He appealed for continued collaboration between NADF, machinery manufacturers, vendors, and service providers, along with government support to make agricultural machinery more affordable.