Nigeria’s agricultural sector is full of promise. For years, however, the innovators who could unlock it were working in isolation. Researchers had viable prototypes sitting in laboratories. Fabricators were building machines without access to certification, markets or end users. Processors and smallholder farmers needed better tools but had limited visibility of locally available solutions. The result was a fragmented system where good ideas struggled to reach the people who needed them most.

Through the UK-funded Research and Innovation Systems for Africa programme, RISA-KECC, Knowledge Exchange and Cascaded Commercialisation, set out to change that. Delivered in Nigeria by ASI, the project focused on one goal: connecting the system so innovation could move from workshop and laboratory to market and farm.

MAPPING NIGERIA’S HIDDEN INNOVATION NETWORK

The first step was visibility.

In 2022, RISA-KECC conducted a nationwide ecosystem mapping exercise to identify who was working on agricultural innovation and where. A GPS-enabled database captured actors across the value chain, from informal workshop fabricators to national research institutions.

For the first time, stakeholders could see the full landscape: where innovation was happening, where bottlenecks existed and where collaboration could unlock scale.

Fabricators gained pathways to researchers and processors. Research institutions saw clearer routes to commercialisation. Innovation began moving beyond prototypes towards practical, market-ready solutions.

FROM ISOLATION TO COMMUNITY: THE RISE OF CONESAM

Mapping created visibility. Connection required trust.

RISA-KECC supported the creation of CONESAM, the Connection of Stakeholders for Agricultural Mechanisation, now spanning 14 states across all six geopolitical zones. Through quarterly forums, technology demonstrations and policy dialogues, processors, farmers, fabricators, researchers, regulators and financiers began engaging within the same ecosystem.

Over three years, CONESAM convenings attracted more than 4,000 participants nationwide. The value lies not in the number but in what changed.

In Kano and Lagos, processors are now accessing equipment tailored to their value chains and scale. Fabricators are working with shared design standards and technical validation. Institutions are repositioning themselves as commercialisation partners rather than simply producers of research outputs.

Reflecting at the project close, the UK Deputy High Commissioner underscored the importance of these relationships:

DIGITAL TOOLS, REAL-WORLD RESULTS

Physical convenings were only part of the solution. To sustain collaboration across regions, RISA-KECC invested in digital infrastructure.

The Digital Manufacturing Makerspace is an outcome of RISA-KECC, which now provides opportunities for, Distributed manufacturing coordination, International Technology Transfer, rapid prototyping, STEM training and Digital manufacturing and modelling.

A web-based platform now enables stakeholders to share designs, prototype virtually and explore partnerships nationwide. A major milestone was the digital revitalisation of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, a 50-year-old institution now equipped with modern web system, digital workflows and stronger public visibility. This has strengthened its role as a national anchor for mechanisation knowledge and coordination.

Three additional digital platforms focused on research coordination, agro-production linkages and an innovation marketplace in partnership with the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) and the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS). Together, these tools reduce the distance between ideas and implementation and help locally developed solutions reach market faster.

CO-CREATING SOLUTIONS WITH FARMERS AND PROCESSORS

Perhaps the most significant shift was how innovation itself was developed.

Rather than designing in isolation, RISA-KECC adopted Participatory Technology Development, bringing end users directly into the design process. In 2023 alone, more than 150 stakeholders collaboratively identified mechanisation challenges and co-created over 25 locally relevant machines.

These included multi-purpose crop threshers for smallholder grain farmers and palm oil digesters tailored to women-led processing groups.

By 2025, over 200 locally fabricated machines had reached more than 800 agribusinesses nationwide.

The impact is tangible. Fabricators report higher demand and improved production standards. Processors are seeing measurable gains in productivity and income.

One women-led cooperative transitioned from manual palm oil processing to certified, locally fabricated equipment accessed through the RISA-KECC network. Output doubled. Incomes increased.

For these women, improved machinery has strengthened both productivity and economic resilience.

A SYSTEM THAT OUTLASTS THE PROJECT

As the RISA-KECC phase concludes, its most important outcomes remain active: stronger networks, digitally connected institutions and a growing culture of collaboration across Nigeria’s agricultural innovation ecosystem.

While the RISA-KECC fund has closed, the United Kingdom’s commitment to science, technology and innovation in Nigeria continues through long-term programmes and partnerships. Work is also ongoing with Nigeria’s financial ecosystem to ensure that more capital supports domestic innovation.

What has changed is not only the number of machines built. It is the way innovation moves from idea to workshop, from workshop to farm and from farm to market.

In Nigeria, agricultural innovation is increasingly connected, locally driven and commercially viable, building bridges that can sustain growth long after the project ends.