The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Defence Agricultural Assets and Projects Development Company Limited (DAPCO), Mr Aliyu Abbati Abdulhameed, mni, has said that Nigeria’s agricultural transformation requires institutions capable of translating potential into secure, disciplined and commercially viable activity.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by DAPCO on Wednesday, following the recent signing of a Master Memorandum of Understanding (MMOU) between DAPCO and Integrainium Holdings Limited, the holding and investment vehicle of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) for the Integrainium Agricultural Initiative.
The MMOU, signed at Defence Holdings’ headquarters in Abuja, establishes a framework for collaboration on commercially viable agricultural and agribusiness projects in Nigeria.
According to the statement, the collaboration is intended to advance the Defence Rapid Agricultural Programme for Sustainable Food Security, Social Security and National Security (DRAP-SEC). It brings together DAPCO’s agricultural project development, operational and security capabilities with Integrainium’s investment oversight, commercial coordination and access to its agricultural value-chain platform.
The framework places productive agriculture at the intersection of food security, economic inclusion and national stability. It seeks to create sustainable livelihoods, strengthen rural economies and support communities vulnerable to insecurity, while expanding productive opportunities for serving military personnel and veterans.
Speaking at the ceremony, Abdulhameed said the collaboration was designed to establish the institutional framework needed to unlock Nigeria’s agricultural potential at scale.
“What this collaboration is specifically designed to address is the institutional architecture to unlock that agricultural potential at scale, with security, with discipline, and with commercial viability at the centre of every decision,” he said.
The MMOU identifies an initial pipeline of six proposed projects for further assessment, structuring and possible implementation.
These include:
“Nano-fertiliser distribution: Exploring potential distributorship rights for Integrainium’s nano-fertiliser products for DAPCO, alongside warehousing, sales, distribution logistics, farmer training and extension support.
“BARC Farms, Jos: Exploring the commercial rehabilitation and revitalisation of the farms through production support, infrastructure restoration, commercial restructuring and financing support.
“Giri Agro-Processing and Supply Chain Security Project: Exploring an agro-processing and aggregation facility supported by warehousing, logistics coordination and supply-chain security.
“ASTC-DAPCO Greenhouse Resuscitation Project: Proposed rehabilitation and operation of greenhouse systems at the Agricultural Services and Training Centre across four locations in Plateau State, targeting high-value vegetables and fruits for domestic and international markets.
“Namtari Integrated Crop, Livestock and Aquaculture Project: Proposed development of an integrated agricultural project on 1,000 hectares of farmland in Namtari District, Yola, Adamawa State, covering production, processing, packaging, storage and logistics.
“DAPCO Integrated Agricultural Risk Management System (DRMS): Deployment of an Integrated Agricultural Investment Field Intelligence and Risk Management System using remote sensing, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms to support decision-making, planning, execution, near-real-time monitoring, security control and risk management across DAPCO’s agricultural projects nationwide.”
These opportunities form part of a wider DRAP-SEC ecosystem intended to connect primary production, agro-industrial processing, secured logistics, mechanisation and structured market access rather than develop projects in isolation.
Under the framework, DAPCO is expected to contribute agricultural project development and delivery support, operational structures, security architecture, site protection and access facilitation, as applicable to each approved project.
MOFI’s Integrainium Holdings will provide strategic coordination, investment oversight and group-level facilitation, including the participation of relevant Integrainium subsidiaries in line with their respective mandates.
The collaboration aims to strengthen domestic value addition, improve market connections and expand income-generating opportunities within agricultural communities.
In his remarks, Abdulhameed emphasised that community participation would be commercially structured rather than charity-based.
“Our ecosystem is designed to bring these individuals into structured, income-generating economic activity,” he added.
He also acknowledged the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff, Defence Holdings Company Limited and MOFI for their institutional support for DAPCO and the collaboration, according to the statement.
The MMOU provides for a Joint Steering Committee comprising representatives of DAPCO, Integrainium Holdings and relevant specialists to coordinate implementation, review milestones and address operational bottlenecks. It establishes an initial 10-year framework for cooperation.
Each proposed project remains subject to feasibility and commercial reviews, security assessments, applicable environmental and social assessments, due diligence, approvals and the execution of a separate project-specific agreement.
Concluding his remarks, Abdulhameed underscored the importance of translating the framework into practical results.
“Let the signing that follows speak for itself, and let the work that follows the signing speak even louder,” he said.
DAPCO is a special-purpose company established under DRAP-SEC. Its mandate combines agricultural and agribusiness development with food security, social stability, economic inclusion and the welfare of serving military personnel and veterans. The Office of the Chief of Defence Staff provides strategic and operational oversight through Defence Holdings Company Limited.