At its 152nd session held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the National Economic Council (NEC) approved the nationwide deployment of solar-powered irrigation pumps developed by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), targeting the upcoming 2025 dry season farming period.
Presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the meeting underscored the strategic importance of these solar irrigation systems as a sustainable alternative to traditional petrol-driven pumps. This initiative is poised to enhance Nigeria’s agricultural output, reduce operational expenses for farmers, boost their earnings, and uplift rural communities.
Pending President Bola Tinubu’s formal endorsement, NEC tasked the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, with devising a comprehensive funding framework to facilitate the mass production of these pumps by NASENI in time for the dry season of 2025.
Vice President Shettima, through his spokesperson Stanley Nkwocha, praised the innovation as a testament to Nigerian creativity and technological capability. He emphasized that the advanced solar irrigation pumps, equipped with features such as GPS tracking, mobile app interfaces, usage analytics, and pay-as-you-go payment options, position Nigeria competitively on the global stage.
“Addressing agricultural innovation is crucial. NASENI’s solar irrigation pumps are ready for large-scale deployment ahead of the 2025 dry season,” Shettima remarked. “These pumps not only replace costly petrol alternatives but also reduce expenses for farmers, extend cultivation into dry periods, and can serve as backup power sources for households.”
Beyond enhancing food security, the Vice President highlighted the potential for these pumps to open avenues for carbon credit generation, benefiting farmers nationwide.
He also outlined other food security measures under the Tinubu administration, including the insurance coverage of 250,000 farmers across eight states, progress on the 30% Value Addition Bill, and activation of a ₦250 billion Bank of Agriculture fund aimed at supporting smallholder farmers.
Updates from the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit revealed ongoing efforts such as repositioning the Green Imperative Project in collaboration with Brazil for financing, and the World Bank-supported AGROW program’s work on identifying priority agricultural value chains for implementation.
Shettima further noted the success of the Harvesting Hope Caravan, which has engaged over 500,000 citizens across eight states, fostering grassroots trust and mobilization-demonstrating that NEC’s policies have tangible impacts beyond policy circles.
Financial highlights presented at the meeting included the following account balances as of September 17, 2025: Excess Crude Account at $535,823.33, Stabilisation Account at ₦83.5 billion, and Natural Resources Account at ₦125.8 billion.
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) CEO provided insights into global economic trends and risks, citing uneven growth patterns, inflation disparities, geopolitical tensions, and shifts in climate and technology as key factors influencing Nigeria’s economic landscape.
Critical reform challenges identified for Nigeria encompassed:
- Structural Constraints: Deficiencies in energy and transport infrastructure elevate production costs, while foreign exchange shortages and heavy dependence on oil revenues undermine fiscal stability.
- Political Economy Risks: Political volatility, frequent policy changes, corruption, and the forthcoming 2027 elections pose obstacles to reform implementation.
- Global Pressures: Climate change, trade disputes, capital flight, and competition within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) challenge Nigeria’s industrial base.
The Summit’s thematic focus includes promoting industrialization-driven growth, enhancing infrastructure to boost competitiveness, and unlocking investment opportunities amid global transformations. NEC resolved to actively engage in the Summit to align efforts with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu briefed the Council on Nigeria’s Anticipatory Action Framework, designed to mitigate the humanitarian and economic consequences of riverine flooding. The framework aims to protect vulnerable populations in 13 high-risk states through timely interventions, institutionalizing anticipatory measures across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), and ensuring equitable responses.
Key components include a ₦24 billion allocation for multipurpose cash assistance, establishment of evacuation centers, early warning systems, child protection initiatives, and prevention of gender-based violence. While 16 states have fully operational Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), 14 lack such structures, four have partial setups, and three depend solely on desk officers. Governors were urged to strengthen State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) and improve risk communication to at-risk communities.
The Council commended the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for the framework and directed expansion to include additional states, with a finalized document expected at the next NEC meeting.
Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi presented a memorandum addressing the impact of rising energy costs on food production. He advocated for optimizing fertilizer expenses through the Presidential Fertilizer Support Coordination Unit’s (PFSCU) efforts to liberalize the fertilizer market and promote availability of smaller, handheld farming tools for smallholders.
Governor Namadi also reminded the Council of President Tinubu’s directive for NASENI to scale up production of 50,000 to 100,000 solar irrigation pumps for distribution based on state needs.
In response, NEC resolved to confront the challenges of high energy and fertilizer costs. The Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas) was instructed to engage with industry stakeholders to address gas pricing and supply issues, with a progress report due at the subsequent meeting.
More images from the event are displayed below:
