The federal government has shortlisted Ekiti State for key agricultural development antiparticipation in the second phase of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme (ATASP-II) following the state government’s expression of interest in the initiative.
The programme, aiative aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government, is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria.
It is designed to accelerate agricultural transformation by improving food and nutrition security, reducing poverty, creating jobs, generating wealth, and enhancing access to rural infrastructure, markets and financial services for farming communities.
The State Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti, noting that the development was conveyed in a letter dated February 27, 2026 and signed by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.
Olatunbosun said the inclusion of Ekiti State in ATASP-II aligns with Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s agenda to transform agriculture into a modern, business-driven sector capable of boosting food security, creating employment and stimulating economic growth in the state.
According to the commissioner, the governor’s administration views agriculture as a critical pillar for economic development and job creation, adding that the government remains committed to leveraging partnerships with the Federal Government and international development institutions to drive agricultural transformation.
He stressed that the state government would continue to pursue policies and programmes that support farmers, expand agribusiness opportunities and build sustainable food systems capable of improving the livelihoods of rural communities.
The commissioner also commended the Federal Government for its commitment to supporting Ekiti State, expressing optimism that the collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the state government would ensure the successful implementation of the programme.
He recalled that Ekiti State had earlier been selected for the second phase of the Nigeria Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme—another major initiative supported by the African Development Bank and the Federal Government aimed at strengthening agricultural value chains.
“The SAPZ programme focuses on the processing of key crops such as cocoa, cassava and palm oil, and is expected to generate thousands of jobs, stimulate agro-industrial development and attract significant private sector investment into the state,” he said.
The commissioner explained that the first phase of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme (ATASP-I) concentrated on improving productivity among smallholder farmers through irrigation development, construction of rural roads, improved access to farm inputs and the strengthening of farmer cooperatives.
While ATASP-I focused largely on boosting food production and farmers’ incomes at the grassroots level, he said complementary initiatives such as the SAPZ programme are designed to expand processing capacity and industrial activities that add value to agricultural produce.
According to him, the combined impact of the programmes is expected to strengthen different segments of the agricultural value chain and accelerate sustainable agricultural development in Ekiti State.