NIRSAL Plc has mentioned it’s closing 2025 with whole authorised credit score ensures for over N100 billion in loans and investments in agriculture and agribusinesses throughout Nigeria, enabling accomplice monetary establishments to increase credit score to worth chain actions that may in any other case fall exterior their threat appetites.
This milestone, NIRSAL’s highest annual finance facilitated up to now, demonstrates the establishment’s continued success in de-risking agricultural worth chains, enhancing entry to finance for agribusinesses, strengthening lender confidence in Nigeria’s agriculture sector, and deepening monetary inclusion.
In recognition of its efforts, NIRSAL obtained the MSME Agrifinance Enabler of the 12 months Award on the 2nd Version of the MSME Finance & CEO Awards held on the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The occasion celebrated innovation, resilience, and excellence in Nigeria’s MSME ecosystem, together with NIRSAL’s capacity to construction and de-risk agricultural transactions.
Talking on the award ceremony, NIRSAL’s managing director/CEO, Sa’advert Hamidu, famous that the accomplishment underscores “the facility of structured risk-sharing fashions, robust partnerships with monetary establishments, and the resilience of Nigeria’s agribusiness entrepreneurs.”
The MD, represented by Akinola Baiyewu, NIRSAL’s Regional Head, South, Enterprise Growth Group, added that the establishment is “not chasing after awards, however is targeted on drawing the eye of potential companions throughout the agrifinance worth chain to NIRSAL’s worth proposition for protected, worthwhile, and sustainable investments in Nigeria’s agriculture sector.”
NIRSAL’s partnerships with business banks and different lending establishments supported crucial actions throughout the agricultural worth chain, together with commodity export, agro-processing, enter provide, major manufacturing, storage, warehousing, and logistics. Alternatively, its technical help applications, area monitoring, and challenge mapping protocols proceed to unlock alternatives for actors throughout the agriculture-to-market continuum.
On the establishment’s position as a de-risking establishment and facilitator moderately than a lender, the managing director famous that whereas substantial monetary capital exists to remodel Nigeria’s agriculture sector, the inherent dangers within the worth chains proceed to discourage lending. The N100 billion milestone recorded this 12 months due to this fact displays a serious shift—from hesitation to elevated confidence—pushed largely by NIRSAL’s credit score threat ensures and strong threat administration frameworks, which reassure lenders and allow them to develop their investments in agriculture.
Companions and Financiers Reaffirm Confidence
Monetary Establishments are more and more counting on NIRSAL’s credit score threat ensures and worth chain threat administration instruments for risk-mitigation, enabling them to scale up agricultural portfolios, optimise capital deployment, and meet each business and growth targets.
The 2025 outcomes mirror deepening collaboration and rising understanding of NIRSAL’s finance facilitation mannequin, and wider acceptance of its credit score threat assure. To this point, NIRSAL has signed 41 grasp agreements with counterparties dedicated to collectively financing agriculture and agribusiness in Nigeria.
The establishment additionally strengthened its strategic positioning for mobilizing different finance into agricultural worth chains. As a Supply Associate to the Inexperienced Local weather Fund (GCF) for local weather finance readiness, NIRSAL is delivering in depth capability growth applications nationwide and is optimistic that Nigeria will safe sizeable local weather finance inflows within the close to future.
Dedication to Scaling Agriculture Manufacturing
Drawing from insights gained by means of previous nationwide and sub-national smallholder financing schemes, NIRSAL refined its program administration choices for sub-national governments, non-public agribusiness traders, and cooperative-led major manufacturing clusters, with improved protocols for farmer onboarding, capacity-building, geo-mapping, soil testing, and mechanization assist to boost manufacturing outcomes.
Trying Forward to 2026
As NIRSAL prepares for 2026, it stays dedicated to increasing its finance facilitation footprint, supporting climate-smart agriculture, strengthening sectoral resilience, and enhancing the competitiveness of Nigeria’s agribusiness ecosystem.
“Our journey is much from over,” the MD affirmed. “Actually, it’s only simply starting. We are going to proceed to innovate, deepen partnerships, and scale options that cut back dangers and unlock finance for Nigeria’s agriculture sector. With the assist of our Board of Administrators and the dedication of our folks, 2026 will see NIRSAL additional scale its contribution in direction of agriculture transformation.”
