The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) says it has facilitated over ₦70 billion in commercial financing for agribusinesses as of the third quarter of 2025, representing its strongest annual performance since inception.
In a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, the organisation said it remains confident of meeting its ₦150 billion target for the year, reflecting growing investor confidence and renewed interest in the agricultural finance sector.
NIRSAL noted that since it began operations in 2013, the latest figure accounts for nearly a quarter of its cumulative ₦270 billion facilitated for agriculture and agribusiness to date.
According to the statement, the milestone underscores the impact of NIRSAL's revamped strategy under its new Board and Executive Management, coming at a time when bank lending to agriculture had been on the decline.
It stated that bank lending to agriculture dropped from 6.18 per cent of total credit in 2022 to 4.82 per cent in 2024, while sectoral growth slowed from 2.5 per cent to 1.7 per cent during the same period.
NIRSAL explained that its value chain modelling, technical support to agribusinesses, and risk-sharing frameworks have helped restore lender confidence, enabling the flow of new funds into key value chains including grains, cocoa, shea, and livestock.
The organisation said the recent financing surge has contributed to improved local production and a positive trade balance in agriculture, with over 32 per cent of the facilitated funds supporting value-added commodity exports.
It added that agriculture's share of bank lending has now risen to 5.33 per cent as of May 2025, showing renewed interest from financial institutions.
Commenting on the milestone, NIRSAL's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Sa'ad Hamidu, said the performance demonstrates that agriculture can be commercially and sustainably financed when capital, technical support, and risk mitigation are effectively combined.
He noted that the organisation's confidence in achieving its ₦150 billion target remains strong, as the peak season for agricultural financing is yet to begin.
"This is not yet the peak of the harvest season when merchants typically seek credit for offtake and storage, and when major agro-dealers stock up on inputs ahead of the next planting cycle," Hamidu said.
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Beyond financing, NIRSAL said it is reshaping agricultural lending through an integrated model that supports enterprises from loan origination to disbursement, helping agribusinesses transition from unbankable to sustainable borrowers.
The organisation disclosed that it has trained over 1,100 bank staff on agricultural finance under its risk-sharing framework, and 450 value chain participants on feedlot management, commodity export, and climate finance to strengthen sectoral capacity.
NIRSAL also announced plans to launch a digital platform, the NIRSAL LandBank Portal, to connect stakeholders across the agricultural ecosystem, offering data-driven insights to investors, policymakers, and development partners.
The LandBank Portal, it said, will also serve as a hub for project development and climate finance, with ongoing partnerships such as the one with the Rural Electrification Agency to provide off-grid power for production and processing clusters in rural communities.
Since inception, NIRSAL has maintained its mandate of de-risking agricultural lending and promoting access to finance for agribusinesses. Its 2025 performance, it said, signals renewed confidence among farmers, financiers, and investors in Nigeria's agriculture sector.
