CS Kagwe holds talks with Nigeria on expanding export opportunities

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe held a high-level bilateral meeting with Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, on the sidelines of the 49th Session of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Governing Council.

The two leaders discussed strategic areas of collaboration between Kenya and Nigeria, focusing on the potential importation of urea fertilizer to Kenya to support local farm production, as well as expanding export opportunities for Kenyan agricultural produce to the Nigerian market.

The engagement reflects a deliberate shift toward strengthening intra-African agricultural trade and building resilient continental value chains.

Speaking during the Governing Council session, CS Kagwe reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to youth agri-preneurship, climate resilience, livestock transformation, and rural enterprise development.

Nigeria, as one of Africa’s leading producers of urea fertilizer, presents a strategic and reliable partner for Kenya.

The Ministry of Agriculture says that sourcing urea from Nigeria would not only stabilize supply and reduce exposure to global shocks but also promote regional industrial linkages, strengthen Africa’s self-sufficiency in agricultural inputs, and lower logistical risks associated with distant markets.

Kenya’s exports to Nigeria, though still below full potential, have been growing steadily, exporting tea, horticultural produce, processed foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and manufactured goods to the Nigerian market.

With Nigeria’s population exceeding 200 million people and a rapidly expanding middle class, the market presents significant opportunities for Kenyan tea, fresh produce, value-added agricultural products, and agri-processed goods.

Both leaders acknowledged that removing non-tariff barriers and strengthening trade facilitation mechanisms will be key to unlocking this untapped potential.

Kenya’s ongoing IFAD-supported portfolio — spanning aquaculture (ABDP), The Kenya Livestock Commercialization Project (KeLCoP), rural Financial Inclusion and Green Finance (FINFA), and the Integrated Natural Resources Management Programme (INReMP) — totals US$581.9 million in IFAD financing within an overall portfolio value of US$1.246 billion.

Notably, INReMP, with US$126.8 million in IFAD financing and a total investment of US$262.7 million, is the largest IFAD-supported programme in Kenya’s history and plays a central role in ecosystem restoration and climate resilience.

Kenya has also demonstrated a strong commitment to IFAD, having doubled and fully paid its US$2 million contribution to IFAD13, and is advocating for an ambitious IFAD14 replenishment that prioritizes climate financing, youth employment, rural enterprise growth, and blended financing models.

The discussions also align with Kenya’s broader food security and market expansion strategy, particularly at a time when regional cooperation is critical to addressing climate shocks, rising production costs, and volatile global markets.

Kenya has historically sourced a significant proportion of its fertilizer and key agricultural inputs from global markets outside Africa.

However, recent geopolitical tensions and conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, disrupted global supply chains, drove up fertilizer prices, and exposed vulnerabilities in over-reliance on extra-continental sources.

These disruptions created an opportunity for deeper intra-Africa trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.