By Boluwatife Adedokun
Nigeria’s agritech sector has seen a surge in startups leveraging digital tools to enhance farming productivity, market access, and financial inclusion.
However, despite these advancements, rural farmers—the primary beneficiaries—continue to struggle with poor internet access, low trust in digital platforms, and regulatory challenges that hinder the growth of agritech solutions.
Internet Access Gaps Limit Agritech Adoption
Reliable internet access is essential for agritech solutions, yet many rural areas in Nigeria lack adequate connectivity. According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), broadband penetration stood at 45.61% as of March 2025, with rural communities facing significant coverage gaps.
The World Bank’s 2022 Nigeria Digital Economy Diagnostic Report highlighted that poor rural infrastructure and high data costs continue to restrict farmers’ access to digital agricultural tools.
Many agritech platforms require stable internet connections for real-time weather forecasting, market access, and farm monitoring, yet unreliable connectivity limits their effectiveness.
Trust Issues and Digital Literacy as Barriers
Many Nigerian farmers remain skeptical of agritech platforms due to concerns about fraud, lack of transparency, and past negative experiences.
A 2022 reportby the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) found that only 30% of Nigerian farmers trust digital agribusiness platforms enough to conduct transactions online.
The lack of digital literacy further compounds this problem.
According to GSMA’s Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2023, only 26% of Nigerians are aware of mobile financial services designed for agricultural trade.
Many farmers prefer traditional face-to-face transactions due to concerns about delayed payments, hidden fees, and unreliable service delivery.
Policy and Regulatory Bottlenecks
Agritech startups face multiple regulatory challenges that hinder their growth.
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) 2023 fintech regulations introduced stricter requirements for mobile money operators, affecting digital payment services used by agritech platforms. Startups now struggle to provide seamless financial solutions for farmers due to compliance costs and bureaucratic delays.
Import duties on agricultural technology equipment, such as drones and smart irrigation systems, remain high.
A 2024 policy brief by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) urged the government to reduce these costs to encourage investment in agricultural innovation.
Recommendations for Improving Agritech Accessibility
To bridge these gaps and ensure agritech solutions reach more Nigerian farmers, key recommendations include:
- Expanding rural broadband infrastructure under the National Broadband Plan to increase internet penetration.
- Enhancing farmer education programs to improve digital literacy and trust in agritech platforms.
- Reforming agritech-related policies to streamline regulations and lower entry barriers for startups.
- Reducing import taxes on precision farming tools to make technology more affordable for farmers.
Nigeria’s agritech sector has the potential to transform agriculture, but systemic challenges continue to slow adoption. Addressing internet infrastructure gaps, building trust in digital platforms, and implementing policy reforms will be crucial for ensuring that agritech solutions reach and benefit smallholder farmers across the country.
