The Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive and Development Initiative (NWAPDI) has unveiled the Sovereign Agrotrade System (SAS), a hybrid digital and physical trading platform designed to connect Nigerian farmers particularly women and youth,directly to national and global markets. The initiative was officially launched during a summit in Abuja themed “Building Wealth from the Soil – Digitally and Inclusively.”
NWAPDI’s National Coordinator said the SAS is built on four integrated innovations: the AgriXchange Marketplace, NWAPDI Grow, AgriCert, and FarmAssure. Together, they aim to bridge long-standing gaps in market access, financing, quality assurance, and farm management for smallholder farmers.
Through the AgriXchange Marketplace, members can connect directly with buyers, suppliers, and service providers, bypassing traditional intermediaries and gaining visibility across Nigeria and beyond. NWAPDI Grow offers secure savings, direct payment channels, and access to microloans, enabling farmers to reinvest quickly and transform seasonal harvests into sustainable agribusinesses. AgriCert provides each harvest with a verifiable stamp of quality, traceability, and trust—opening doors to premium markets and guaranteeing timely payment. FarmAssure equips farmers with digital record-keeping, enabling them to manage their farms like businesses, attract investors, secure insurance, and make data-driven decisions.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, represented at the event, described SAS as aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda’s priorities of agriculture, digital innovation, inclusivity, and grassroots empowerment. He emphasised that the platform could help reposition farmers as respected entrepreneurs, empower women as bankable investors, and equip youth as digital agripreneurs capable of driving rural economic growth.
International partners also hailed the initiative’s potential. The Lead Consortium Partner said the SAS was designed not only to empower women and youth in agriculture but also to promote food security, sustainable farming practices, and stronger links between rural producers and international markets.
By merging technology, financial inclusion, and agricultural value chain development, NWAPDI aims to move Nigerian farming from subsistence to profitability—placing women and young farmers at the centre of the country’s agricultural transformation.
