MOFI takes over Presidential Fertiliser Initiative from NSIA

By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief & Favour Abraham

The Ministry of Finance Incorporated, MOFI, is billed to take over the management of the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative, PFI-NPK, Limited in a transition arrangement that would see to the exit of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA.

The Chief Executive Officer of MOFI, Dr. Armstrong Takang and his NSIA counterpart, Mr Aminu Umar-Sadiq, led their respective top management officials to a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, at the weekend, where they agreed to cooperate to ensure a smooth transition.

Members of the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria, FEPSAN, officials of the federal ministry of agriculture and food security, as well as private sector operators were at the meeting convened to aggregate efforts for a more-effective fertiliser value-chain in the country.

In his address, the MOFI boss said:  “Over the years, the PFI-NPK programme has played a role in transforming Nigeria’s fertiliser ecosystem, from expanding domestic blending capacity to enhancing farmers’ access to quality fertilisers and advancing national food security objectives.”

Armstrong added that success must never be allowed to be a disincentive for further progress, noting that only sustained stakeholder engagement could unlock new vistas of progress.

“The 2025 PFI-NPK Stakeholders’ Roundtable, themed: ‘PFI: A journey of Reform, partnership and Transition’, was carefully chosen to appreciate stakeholders for their long-standing commitment to the PFI, and to also serve as a reminder to all parties that the journey ahead requires even greater effort if more remarkable successes are to be recorded.

“As this year’s roundtable convenes key stakeholders across government, industry, and the private sector for a strategic dialogue, the focus will be on progress made, challenges ahead, and collaborative pathways to sustain and scale the Initiative’s impact,” he said.

Reacting to complaints of fertilizer adulteration, raw material diversion and ineffective distribution system, Dr. Takang said he would tackle the challenges head-on.

Tackling fertilizer adulteration

On tackling fertliser adulteration, the MOFI boss said:  “We will put in a place a traceability mechanism through which we will be able to trace the raw materials that are imported to the point of production of the fertilisers and we will follow the fertilisers from the plants to the farmers who are the end-users.

‘’By so doing, we will be able to identify the sources of the adulteration, so we can eliminate it.  There is also the second aspect of it, which is self-regulation.

‘’The blenders themselves are expected to watch the industry to ensure that one of them adulterates the products or aid such practice because it hurts the entire industry.

“Adulteration affects their businesses, so they have a responsibility to self-regulate and see to it that no one is allowed to do anything that compromises the quality of fertilisers.  We want the farmers to receive high-quality fertilisers that they pay for, to increase their crop yield.”

He restated its commitment to the success of the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative, PFI, through sustained strategic support to the PFI-NPK Limited under the full operations and management of MOFI Management Company Limited (ManCo) when its joint management partner, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA, exits the co-management arrangement in November.

Dr. Armstrong described the roundtable as defining, stating that it afforded the PFI-NPK investor, managers, and stakeholders a unique opportunity to chart a course forward for an initiative that had been truly a transformative and impactful model of success.

NSIA cooperation

Aminu Umar-Sadiq disclosed that the PFI-NPK has transformed the nation’s fertilizer narrative, having increased blending plants from a mere four to the current 92 in the country.

“Since its launch in 2016, the PFI has evolved into one of Nigeria’s most impactful agricultural interventions,” he said.

The NSIA boss added:  “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.”

He admitted however, that gaps still existed, particularly in the quality of the products, effective distribution and called on industry players to step up their efforts in addressing the problems.

He said NSIA would continue to work with MOFI to achieve the mandate of the initiative. 

The last administration established the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, PFI, a fertiliser intervention project, to stimulate local production of fertilizer by reviving the local blending fertilizer industry; make fertiliser available to Nigerian farmers at affordable prices; enhance food security as a result of the expected increase in food production; reduce food-induced inflation; and generally, stimulate economic activities across the agriculture value chain.

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