Yusuf Ishaku Goje
In Kaduna State, agriculture has consistently contributed 36-38% of the State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs about 42% of our workforce.
In the past two years, under the current administration, the agricultural sector got an astronomical increase from the 2023 budget allocation of N1.48 billion to N23.40 billion in 2024 (1,473% increase).
In the 2025 approved budget, the allocation further increased to N74.02 billion (216% increase compared to last year).
Comparatively, between 2023 and 2025 there was a 4,871% increase. As compared to the annual budget size of the State, the sector got only 0.4% in 2023, this increased to 5.1% in 2024 and an impressive 9.4% in 2025. This is just 0.6% away from meeting the 10% Maputo declaration benchmark for budget allocation agreed upon by the African Head of States in 2003, in Mozambique.
A topic for another day is the cash-backed releases and utilization. The overhead and capital expenditures in the 2024 revised budget, as of October show the performances were 6.24% and 49.8%, respectively.
Despite this progress, most government interventions targeting smallholder farmers are at risk of failing. In 2019, the former governor of the State created three new ministries and amended the mandates of others – including the Ministry of Human Services & Social Development, which took over the Cooperative Unit from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Whatever was the justification, it is now evident that the means and end have not been justified.
A quick search shows that in the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, there was no budget provision for the overhead and capital expenditure for the Unit, except for revenue targets.
However, in 2024, there was a joint provision of N12 million for the Mobilization of Community Development and Cooperative Societies, with a zero percent performance as of September.
The Unit under the Ministry of Human Services & Social Development has been ineffective over the years, as the Ministry lacks the requisite capacity to fully utilize Cooperative Societies for economic empowerment and prosperity.
The Ministry’s major economic empowerment intervention, the Kaduna State Women Empowerment Fund (KADSWEF), targets women directly, bypassing cooperative societies, and similarly, its social protection interventions do not utilize cooperative society structures.
On the flip side, the Ministry of Agriculture’s interventions primarily target cooperative societies, including donor programs and private sector initiatives in the sector, resulting in high demand for the Cooperative Unit and utilization of cooperatives. Not to forget that most cooperatives are involved in the agriculture value chain beyond primary production.
Therefore, housing the Cooperative Unit under a Ministry that under-utilizes it is counterproductive, creating bureaucratic barriers for the Ministry of Agriculture and its partners to access existing society data and posing poor data management challenges.
In 2025, the State government has commendably allocated N28 million for the Mobilization of Community Development and Cooperative Societies.
However, this allocation is just the starting point. To truly harness its potential, it is crucial that Cooperative Societies are not merely submerged in joint budget allocations, but are also placed under a Ministry that can effectively utilize and monitor them.
Cooperative Societies play a vital role in enhancing the state’s agricultural production and yield, reducing hunger and poverty, and ensuring food security.
Therefore, this is a passionate appeal to Governor Uba Sani to review and return the Cooperative Unit to the Ministry of Agriculture, where it rightfully belongs.
The return of the Unit to the Ministry of Agriculture is crucial because achieving the priorities outlined in the SUSTAIN Manifesto’s agriculture pillar and rural transformation effort of the current administration will require a functional cooperative structure that ensures inclusive economic prosperity and sustainability.
Goje is an active citizen, civil society member, and OGP enthusiast
