The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (“NSIA or ‘the Authority”) says it will formally exit the co-management of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative in November, just as the Ministry of Finance Incorporated has announced its preparedness to take over the sole responsibility of managing the PFI.
The NSIA says it will be handing over 90 fully operational fertiliser blending plants to the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI),as against only four functional plants when the Federal Government launched the PFI in 2016.
Over the weekend,the NSIA gathered key stakeholders in the agriculture value chain at the annual Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) stakeholder forum in Abuja to deliberate on the journey and successes of the PFI programme.
This event marked the successful transition of the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) after nearly a decade of unprecedented growth in Nigeria’s agricultural input sector.
This landmark event also marks the formal transition of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) programme to the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI).
Since its launch in 2016, the PFI has evolved into one of Nigeria’s most impactful agricultural interventions,It was designed to address structural inefficiencies in the fertilizer supply chain and reduce dependency on imports, and has been championed by the NSIA under the direction of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Through strategic direction of the PFI programme, NSIA has led the transformation of Nigeria’s previously moribund fertilizer blending landscape and has grown the number of operational blending plants from four (4) in 2016 to over 90 by July 2025, with more than 128 million bags of blended high-quality fertiliser delivered to Nigerian farmers.
These interventions have significantly improved fertiliser accessibility and affordability, enhanced food security, and created over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs across the country.
Despite global supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, persistent foreign exchange volatility, macroeconomic pressures like the devaluation of the naira, PFI remained resilient as NSIA, working closely with relevant stakeholders ensured uninterrupted supply of fertiliser to farmers at stable prices.
In recent years, the initiative has undergone a strategic restructuring, focused on positioning PFI for enhanced financial and operational sustainability.
This next phase includes the introduction of wet blend technology, geographic expansion to underserved regions, and a stronger focus on private sector participation, setting the stage for additional positive impact.
Speaking at the event , Aminu Umar-Sadiq, Managing Director & CEO, NSIA said : “This event is significant because we are honouring nearly a decade of positive impact, strategic partnership, growth and reform.
The PFI is a model of what collaboration between public institutions, and the private sector can achieve. We remain committed to strategic partnerships that enhance positive socio-economic outcomes for Nigerians@”
By strategically leading the PFI programme for almost a decade, NSIA re-validates its commitment to advance food security, empower stakeholders within the value chain and ultimately propel sustainable economic growth and development in Nigeria.
As the PFI transitions to MOFI, NSIA reiterates its focus on catalysing impactful investments, promoting public-private sector collaboration, and support for initiatives that optimise positive outcomes in Nigeria.
In the meantime, the Managing Director, Dr Armstrong Takang said MOFI is ready fr the transition,which he noted was the reason for the stakeholder engagement.
‘You heard our sister company,NSIA talk about what they’ve done so far and also identifying some of the challenges that have been faced and the priority areas that we need to address.’
He added ‘We will continue to do more work to do the transitioning,Our teams have been working closely together to make sure that the transition is smooth,and then, hopefully by the time time we fully take over in January of 2026, we‘re entering PFI 3.0 that would have built on the solid foundation that has been laid.’
