The Jigawa State Government and the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their partnership to accelerate agricultural transformation, expand opportunities for women, youth and persons with disabilities, and scale up food security initiatives under the WOFAN-ICON2 Project.
The renewed commitment was announced during a joint media interaction involving the Governor of Jigawa State, Malam Umar A. Namadi, and WOFAN Founder and Global Advocate, Hajiya Dr. Salamatu Garba, on the sidelines of the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Kigali, Rwanda on Tuesday, 1st September, 2026.
The media briefing brought together journalists covering agriculture and development issues, alongside members of the WOFAN Media Team, during the continental gathering of policymakers, researchers, farmer organisations, development partners, private sector players and scientists working towards sustainable food systems and agricultural transformation across Africa.
Governor Namadi said Jigawa State has continued to derive significant benefits from participating in the Africa Food Systems Forum, noting that many of the state's agricultural reforms were inspired by ideas and partnerships developed at previous editions of the summit.
He recalled that one of the major takeaways from an earlier forum was the need for a dedicated institution to coordinate agricultural transformation, a recommendation that led to the establishment of the Jigawa State Agricultural Transformation Agency (JISATA), which he described as one of the major drivers of the state's agricultural successes.
According to the Governor, the 2026 forum has once again created fresh opportunities for strategic partnerships that will strengthen rice production, livestock development, mechanisation and agricultural investment in the state.
Speaking on WOFAN's interventions, Governor Namadi praised the organisation's longstanding contributions to empowering women, youth and persons with disabilities through inclusive agricultural programmes.
He assured that the Jigawa State Government would address issues limiting the expansion of WOFAN's interventions and provide greater support for scaling up the organisation's activities across the state.
"Everybody knows what WOFAN is doing in Nigeria in terms of empowering women in agriculture, empowering youth and people living with disabilities. This is a programme every serious government needs to work with and replicate," the Governor said.
He added that WOFAN's inclusive development model aligns closely with Jigawa State's agricultural transformation agenda and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's national food security programme.
Governor Namadi further reaffirmed that WOFAN would continue to enjoy the support of his administration as both partners work towards improving livelihoods, increasing agricultural productivity and strengthening food security across the state.
He also disclosed that the state currently has about 1,700 agricultural extension workers supporting farmers with modern agronomic practices, while a comprehensive statewide soil survey now enables farmers to select suitable crops, fertilisers and production techniques based on local soil conditions.
"Our objective is to move our farmers from subsistence agriculture to commercial farming by improving productivity, increasing incomes and strengthening technical support through extension services," he said.
In her remarks, WOFAN Founder and Global Advocate, Dr. Salamatu Garba, described Jigawa as one of the organisation's foremost partner states, attributing its remarkable achievements to the state's enabling environment for agriculture and the strong commitment of Governor Namadi to farmers' welfare.
She disclosed that WOFAN currently works with more than 150 women clusters comprising about 750 groups, each consisting of 30 members, reaching thousands of women, youth and persons with disabilities through climate-smart agriculture, mechanisation, financial inclusion, agribusiness development and value-chain support.
According to her, nearly 10,000 farmers in Jigawa have been integrated into WOFAN's financial inclusion programme through partnership with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), enabling beneficiaries to save income from successive farming seasons and build sustainable agricultural enterprises.
She explained that through savings mobilised after three farming seasons, participating farmers raised ₦27 million, which WOFAN matched with an additional ₦27 million, enabling the farmers to acquire a multi-crop harvester that now serves WOFAN members and surrounding communities while improving paddy production and increasing access to premium markets.
Dr. Garba also revealed that WOFAN purchased and marketed 54,000 bags of processed rice from Sara Market in Jigawa during the last production season at premium prices, describing the achievement as evidence of what education, financial inclusion and supportive government policies can accomplish.
She noted that women processors have become active participants in the rice value chain through WOFAN's women centres, which are equipped with modern processing facilities, including rice polishers and destoners, thereby improving product quality and market competitiveness.
The WOFAN Founder announced that the organisation intends to further expand its interventions in Jigawa by supporting women processors, agro-marketers and rural entrepreneurs, including the training and provision of startup capital to about 100 youth-led agribusiness enterprises under the WOFAN-ICON2 Project.
She commended the Jigawa State Government for creating an environment that encourages innovation, community participation and agricultural entrepreneurship, noting that the state's farmers have become a model for other parts of Nigeria.
Both Governor Namadi and Dr. Garba agreed that stronger collaboration between governments, development organisations and the private sector remains essential to transforming African agriculture, improving rural livelihoods and achieving sustainable food security.
They emphasised that partnerships built through platforms such as the Africa Food Systems Forum provide practical solutions for scaling innovations, attracting investment and accelerating inclusive agricultural development across Nigeria and the African continent.