Nigeria has launched the Climate-Smart Agribusiness Partnership for Resilience (CSAPR) Project, a new initiative aimed at helping farmers and agribusinesses manage climate risks while improving the resilience and profitability of agricultural value chains.
The project was unveiled in Abuja in July 2026 through a partnership involving the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Funded by the Gates Foundation and scheduled to run from 2026 to 2028, CSAPR is designed to integrate Climate Information Services (CIS) into commercially viable agribusiness products and services through public-private partnerships.
At its core, the project seeks to make climate information a practical business input rather than information used mainly for forecasting and emergency response. Farmers and agribusinesses are expected to gain access to weather forecasts, seasonal climate information, early-warning advisories and other services that can support decisions on planting, farm management and investment.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, said at the launch that the initiative would strengthen collaboration among government institutions, development partners, financial institutions, private-sector operators and farmer organisations to expand climate-smart agribusiness opportunities and improve farmers’ livelihoods.
NiMet Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Charles Anosike, stressed the importance of accurate and timely weather and climate information to agricultural decision-making. He said the agency would support the initiative through seasonal climate predictions, agrometeorological bulletins, impact-based forecasts, early-warning advisories and digital climate information platforms.
Early implementation has already included the installation of automated weather stations in Ogun and Kano states, the commencement of climate-information dissemination and the distribution of digital devices to leaders of farmer organisations to facilitate timely weather advisories. These activities were highlighted by the SAPZ Programme at the project launch.
IFAD Country Director in Nigeria, Dede Ekoue, said CSAPR is intended to strengthen the business case for climate information services by bringing public institutions and private-sector actors together in financially viable partnerships. She said NiMet’s technical expertise and climate data would be important in making the services accurate, timely and useful to farmers, agribusinesses, financial institutions and insurers.
The project is particularly focused on supporting smallholder farmers, including women and young people, while encouraging financial institutions, insurers, agritech companies and other private-sector players to develop climate-informed products and services.
The key test for CSAPR will be whether the climate-information services and public-private business models developed during the project can achieve sufficient commercial viability to continue expanding beyond the initial funding period. For now, the weather stations, digital advisory systems and partnerships represent early implementation milestones rather than evidence of measurable long-term impact.
