The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Mohammed Abba Isa, has called for the establishment of Farm Cities for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) across the six geo-political zones, saying the initiative will boost economic growth and deepen inclusion.
Abba Isa spoke during the inauguration of the Local Organising Committee set up to plan and mobilise funds for the proposed PWD Farm Cities nationwide.
The initiative is being spearheaded by the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction in partnership with the Peace for Humanity Foundation.
Commending the promoters of the project, Abba Isa described the initiative as bold and transformative, noting that agriculture remains the most expansive sector of the Nigerian economy with vast value chains spanning cultivation, processing, packaging, storage, marketing and export.
According to him, when properly structured and supported, the agricultural sector has the capacity to absorb millions of Nigerians into productive ventures.
“The establishment of Farm Cities specifically designed for Persons With Disabilities will open structured, accessible and inclusive opportunities for PWDs who are already farmers, while also encouraging new entrants to embrace agriculture as a viable and dignified means of livelihood,” he said.
He observed that many PWDs in rural communities are already engaged in farming but operate under harsh conditions without access to modern equipment, improved seedlings, irrigation systems, financing, extension services and structured markets.
“They labour daily with resilience but without adequate institutional support. This project seeks to change that narrative,” he added.
Abba Isa explained that the proposed Farm Cities would function as organised hubs of agricultural productivity where accessibility, mechanisation, technology, capacity building and financing converge.
He said the centres would provide PWD farmers access to funding windows, government intervention programmes, development partners’ support and modern farming techniques, while integrating them into national and international agricultural value chains.
Aligning the initiative with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the presidential aide stressed that the project would advance inclusive economic empowerment for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
He added that the initiative would help transition beneficiaries “from subsistence to sustainability, from marginalisation to productivity, and from exclusion to economic relevance.”
The Local Organising Committee is expected to coordinate stakeholder engagement and mobilise resources towards the realisation of the Farm Cities project nationwide.