FMAFS and ACReSAL Partner with World Bank to Transition Digital Precision Agricultural Extension Platform (DPAE) for Enhanced Climate Resilience

ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), in strategic partnership with the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project and the World Bank, has officially commenced a high-level Transition Workshop for the Nigeria Digital Precision Agricultural Extension (DPAE) platform. Held at the Johnwood Hotel in Wuse, Abuja, the three-day event marks a critical milestone in handing over a cutting-edge, mobile-based farming advisory service directly to the Federal Government of Nigeria for long-term operation.

The DPAE seeks to strengthen climate resilience among smallholder farmers in semi-arid northern Nigeria. Regional evidence reveals critical gaps in adoption of recommended practices, including seed selection, fertilizer application, and weed management. These gaps contribute to low productivity and increased food insecurity. The DPAE platform addresses this by providing timely, personalized, climate-smart guidance on weather, crop management, pest control and input use to farmers across the states. It works by sending simple, automated voice messages directly to farmers’ mobile phones in the Hausa language.

These weekly phone calls give farmers practical advice based on the exact crops they are growing, their specific local area, and the current stage of the farming season. During its highly successful pilot phase, the platform targeted key value chains including maize, sorghum, tomato, groundnut, cowpea and rice across eight northern states: Kano, Niger, Adamawa, Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna and FCT.

Using a “Build, Operate, Transfer” (BOT) approach, the platform developers have spent the last year proving the system works. This workshop marks the official process of training government extension officers to completely take over the database, manage the phone systems, and create the audio messages so the program runs permanently.

Delivering the opening address, Mr. Ayodele Olawumi, Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension Services (FMAFS), emphasized how this technology changes the game for rural communities:

“The transition of the DPAE platform is not just a technical exercise—it is a sustainability and Nigerian ownership plan. It ensures that the platform becomes fully institutionalized within our national extension system, guaranteeing continuity and long-term impact for millions of farmers.”

“By consolidating lessons learned and charting a path forward, we are laying the foundation for a resilient agricultural extension system that harnesses innovation to drive inclusive growth and food security for Nigeria. With unity of purpose and sustained collaboration, we can build an extension system that empowers farmers, restores ecosystems, and secures our nation’s food future.”

Highlighting the massive success and the deep trust the platform has built, Dr. Iganya Joy Agene, Senior Environmental Specialist, World Bank &Task Team Leader (TTL) for ACReSAL, whose technical address was presented by her official representative, Mr. Ayodele Fashogbon, shared key results from the initial rollout:

“This platform has completely proven that digital innovation can transform public services. During its recent dry-season trial, the system successfully reached 20,000 farmers across eight northern states. This proves we can deploy modern, real-time solutions to rural communities quickly, smoothly, and at a massive scale.”

“What is most exciting is the human impact: 97% of the farmers surveyed explicitly stated that they deeply trust the advice they receive over these phone calls. Because these messages are customized to their specific crops and locations, we have built a highly trusted, reliable model that we can confidently expand to help millions more farmers across Nigeria.”

Reflecting on why the project was created and how it directly serves farmers on the ground, Abdulhamid Umar, the National Project Coordinator (NPC) for ACReSAL, whose speech was delivered on his behalf by his official representative, Mallam Mukhtar Tanko, detailed the platform’s practical value:

​”Farming in northern Nigeria has become incredibly tough due to shifting rains and extreme weather. To directly solve this problem, ACReSAL teamed up with Precision Development (PxD) to build a digital platform designed from the ground up for smallholder farmers. Our main goal is simple: get timely, straightforward, and actionable farming advice directly to the people who need it most so they can protect their harvests.

​Our farmers are already attesting to how the advisory services they have been receiving through the system have really helped them achieve visible yield in the last dry season farming. We are very much optimistic that this system will serve as a strong foundation for extension services to be permanently strengthened and improved toward overall agriculture and productivity across the nation.”

Offering a detailed look into the implementation process, Jonathan Lehe, Chief Strategy Officer for Precision Development (PxD), expressed his gratitude to the multi-sectoral partners driving the initiative:

“It has been a great honor for us to work closely over the last year with the ACReSAL project, the World Bank, and the Federal Ministries of Agriculture to build and pilot this platform. Our primary focus here is on the Nigerian government partners who will own and operate this system in the long term, and on the millions of smallholder farmers who stand to benefit from it.”

“A critical part of our mission is scaling through government partners to ensure these digital services become institutionalized and sustainable. The ACReSAL team made a bold decision to invest in this platform a year ago, creating a vision for digital agriculture that is deeply respected by farmers in some of the most remote states in the north. The World Bank’s investments are laying the foundation for a vibrant digital ecosystem through this project and the upcoming initiative. Ultimately, the farmers are the reason we are here, and they have shown us over the last year that this information is incredibly valuable to them.”

Systemic Sustainability and Operational Governance

Over the three-day intensive training, technical officers from ACReSAL’s National Office and the FMAFS Extension Department are mastering the step-by-step operations of the platform. This includes learning how to register and profile new farmers, manage secure databases, and handle the complete cycle of content planning.

Participants are also gaining direct experience in recording audio advisories, scheduling automated phone broadcasts, and using the live monitoring dashboard to track system performance. This complete transfer of technical know-how guarantees that the digital extension platform will continue to serve and protect Nigerian farmers for years to come.

Jane Ozuruoke, mnipr
Communication Specialist
Federal Project Management Unit, ACReSAL