NITDA MoU deploys AI advisory platform to Nigerian smallholders
NITDA and Extension Africa signed an MoU to roll out the AI-Enabled Digital Advisory Platform, delivering mobile guidance on weather, soil and crops to millions of farmers under the Gates-funded NPPP-AI-DAP initiative.
NITDA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Extension Africa to deploy the AI-Enabled Digital Advisory Platform (AI-DAP) that will deliver mobile, AI-driven agricultural advisory services to millions of Nigerian smallholder farmers.
The agreement forms part of the Nigeria Public-Private Partnership AI-Enabled Digital Advisory Planning (NPPP-AI-DAP) project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and convened by the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services [1]. The platform uses artificial intelligence, spatial analytics and user segmentation to provide personalised, location-specific advice on weather, soil health, crop management and related topics directly to farmers' mobile phones.
The NPPP-AI-DAP initiative addresses Nigeria's agricultural extension gap, where too few human officers serve millions of smallholders. By shifting to a scalable digital layer, the project aims to deliver customised advisory services at low cost and at scale. On 25 May 2026 an MoU signing ceremony took place at the Gombe State Agricultural Development Programme Conference Hall, making Gombe the second state to join after Kaduna and Oyo [1].
Implementation is led by a consortium that includes Sasakawa Africa Association handling state-level engagement in Gombe, Oyo and Kaduna. Public institutions and private-sector partners collaborate under the same framework. Stakeholder meetings convened by AFAAS in Lagos and funded by the Gates Foundation have validated a sustainable public-private partnership model for digital agricultural extension services consistent with the AI-DAP design.
NITDA has placed artificial intelligence at the centre of its agenda. The agency published the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy in 2024, established the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and runs an Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme that funds 45 research teams and startups with grants of up to ₦5 million each. Precision agriculture pilots already supported by NITDA demonstrate that agriculture is a priority domain for these investments. NITDA has also signed an MoU with Cisco to advance AI and smart agriculture, including a smart agriculture demonstration farm and IoT use cases with agricultural bots and drones [4].
The new partnership with Extension Africa aligns with NITDA's broader digital transformation efforts. A five-year (2025–2030) pact with the DAWN Commission covers six Southwest states and includes digital literacy, startup support and regulatory frameworks that can channel future AI-DAP deployments. Nigeria's National AI Strategy further outlines plans for AI centres of excellence, deep-tech accelerators, transfer partnerships and a national governance body, all relevant to scaling agricultural platforms.
Extension Africa participates in the NPPP-AI-DAP consortium as the private-sector partner supplying AI and digital advisory capabilities [1]. Public documentation on the NITDA–Extension Africa MoU itself remains limited; exact signing dates, contractual terms, rollout timelines and target farmer numbers have not yet been released. The initiative matches stated national goals of improving livelihoods, strengthening food security and accelerating digital and economic transformation.
Related NITDA activities include an MoU with UNICCON Group to promote indigenous technologies and local content [2], as well as collaboration with Nasarawa State University on research and AI-driven solutions [5]. The agency has emphasised that Africa must lead the AI revolution through strategic leadership and inclusive innovation [7], a position reinforced by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy [8].
