FAO established its presence in Nigeria in 1978 and has remained a key partner to the Government for nearly five decades, supporting national efforts toward sustainable agriculture, food security, and rural development.

Today, the FAO Country Office works closely with a broad range of federal ministries and institutions, including the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security; Budget and Economic Planning; Water Resources and Sanitation; Environment; Health; and Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, as well as relevant state government ministries. Through these partnerships, FAO provides strategic, technical, and policy support to national priorities aligned with Nigeria’s development agenda.

Over the years, FAO has evolved from primarily project-based interventions to a more integrated programmatic approach guided by its Country Programming Framework (CPF), aligning with FAO’s Strategic Framework and the “Four Betters”: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment, and Better Life.

Since its inception in Nigeria, FAO has implemented and supported hundreds of projects and programmes across the agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry, and natural resource management sectors. These interventions span policy development, institutional capacity strengthening, technological innovation, and emergency response. FAO has also mobilized significant resources from bilateral and multilateral partners, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the European Union, and the World Bank, among others.

FAO’s support has contributed to key national initiatives, including the development of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), strengthening sustainable crop and livestock systems, advancing fisheries and aquaculture development, and promoting climate-smart and agroecological practices. The Organization has also played a catalytic role in piloting innovative technologies and approaches that have been adopted and scaled up by government and partners across the country.

In the area of emergency and resilience programming, FAO continues to provide critical support in response to shocks and crises, including conflict, climate variability, and disease outbreaks. This includes ongoing interventions in the North-East (Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States), where FAO supports vulnerable and displaced populations with agricultural livelihood assistance, contributing to recovery, resilience, and durable solutions.

FAO has also been at the forefront of supporting Nigeria in addressing transboundary animal and plant diseases, including avian influenza, desert locust preparedness, and Fall Armyworm control, while strengthening national systems for early warning and response.

Cross-cutting all its interventions is FAO’s strong commitment to gender equality, youth empowerment, and inclusive rural transformation, ensuring that women, youth, and vulnerable groups are actively engaged and benefit from agricultural development.

Through its continued partnership with the Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders, FAO remains committed to supporting the transformation of agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.