Nigeria’s agricultural sector is brimming with potential, but for years the people who could unlock it weren’t talking to each other. Processors needed better tools. Researchers had prototypes gathering dust in labs. Fabricators were building machines in isolation, with little access to markets or end-users. The result? Innovations rarely reached the smallholder farmers, processors and agribusinesses who needed them most.
That gap is now closing. Through the UK-funded Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) programme, the RISA-KECC project—short for Knowledge Exchange and Cascaded Commercialisation—is breaking down long-standing barriers between innovators, institutions, and industry. Delivered in Nigeria by ASI (Adam Smith International), the project is showing how inclusive, locally driven innovation can accelerate growth in Africa’s largest agriculture-based economy.
A National Effort to Map and Connect Innovators
The first step was visibility. In 2022, RISA-KECC conducted a nationwide mapping exercise to uncover who was working on agricultural innovation and where. From local machine-builders in small workshops to leading research institutes such as the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), Projects Development Institute (PRODA), Raw Materials Research Development Council (RMRDC), Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) and The National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), the project created a GPS-enabled database documenting Nigeria’s agricultural innovation landscape.
This map revealed bottlenecks and opened doors for collaboration. Fabricators who once worked alone are now connected to researchers and end-users, while institutions gained insight into how their work could be applied on the ground.
Building A Community: The Rise of CONESAM
To sustain this momentum, the project launched CONESAM—the Connection of Stakeholders for Agricultural Mechanisation. Far more than a platform, CONESAM is a community of practice that now spans 14 states, with regional hubs in all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
Quarterly forums, technology demonstrations, and innovation summits are bringing Processors, Farmers, Fabricators, Researchers, and Policymakers into the same room. In Kano and Lagos, this collaboration is already bearing fruit: processors now have access to tools tailored to specialized for value addition, while machine-builders benefit from design support, market linkages and thought leadership that were previously out of reach.
Digital Bridges for Real-World Impact
Innovation doesn’t stop at physical gatherings. RISA-KECC has built a web-based platform where stakeholders can share designs, prototype virtually, and collaborate across regions. It also supported the full digitalisation of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), a 50-year-old institution now revitalised with a stronger digital presence and positioned for national leadership.
Co-Creation: Innovations Built With, Not For, Farmers
Perhaps the most striking shift has come through Participatory Technology Development. In 2023, more than 150 stakeholders co-created over 25 new machines from a multi-purpose crop thresher for smallholder grain farmers to a palm oil digester designed for women-led processing groups.
The approach ensured these tools were not only affordable but also practical for the realities of Nigerian farmers. By 2025, over 200 locally built machines had reached 800 agribusinesses nationwide, with fabricators reporting higher sales and processors seeing real gains in productivity.
Why This Matters
The change is systemic. Research institutes that once struggled to translate ideas into practice are now linked to markets. Women-led processing groups are scaling production and gaining market access. Local machine-builders are adopting new digital tools like CAD modelling and 3D printing, reducing dependence on imported equipment.
“Locally built solutions are no longer on the margins. They are at the centre of Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.”
Eleanor Tuck, RISA Fund Director
Looking Ahead
The RISA-KECC project has connected more than 600 stakeholders, reached 14 states, and established CONESAM as a national network for agricultural innovation. But the work is just beginning. The next phase will:
- Expand Market Access – connecting local fabricators and processors with regional buyers across West Africa.
- Embed Policy Support – ensuring inclusive innovation is part of Nigeria’s agricultural and industrial strategies.
- Back Youth and Light Manufacturing – equipping a new generation of entrepreneurs with digital tools to drive job creation and self-sufficiency.
Nigeria’s agricultural future depends not just on producing more, but on producing smarter. By linking research to practice and ensuring farmers, fabricators, and institutions innovate together, RISA-KECC has shown a new way forward: one where home-grown ideas drive national growth.
