Economic Council Endorses NASENI’s Solar Irrigation Pumps

The National Economic Council (NEC) has endorsed solar-powered irrigation pumps produced by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for nationwide rollout up of the 2025 adust play farming.

The determination was taken astatine the 152nd gathering of the Council, which was held connected Thursday astatine the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The NASENI star irrigation pump, designed to regenerate petrol-powered pumps, is expected to reenforce Nigeria’s nutrient information strategy by expanding cultivation productivity, lowering operational costs, raising farmers’ incomes, and improving agrarian livelihoods.

In anticipation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval, NEC mandated the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, to enactment retired backing modalities to alteration NASENI to mass-produce the pumps successful clip for the 2025 adust season.

In a connection by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, Vice President Shettima hailed the innovation arsenic impervious of Nigerian ingenuity, stressing that the scaled-up star irrigation pumps demonstrated the capableness of the federation to vie globally.

“We indispensable besides look the situation of innovation successful agriculture. NASENI’s scaled-up star irrigation pumps are acceptable for nationalist rollout up of the 2025 adust season.

These pumps regenerate costly petrol-powered systems, little farmers’ costs, grow dry-season cultivation, and adjacent supply household backup power.

“Their precocious features, including GPS tracking, mobile app dashboards, usage monitoring, and pay-as-you-go integration, beryllium that Nigerian ingenuity tin vie with the world,” the Vice President said.

He added that the innovation would boost nutrient information and unlock nationwide c recognition opportunities for farmers.

The Vice President besides highlighted different efforts by the Tinubu medication to warrant nutrient security, noting that 250,000 farmers person been insured crossed 8 states, portion the 30 per cent Value Addition Bill is advancing, and the ₦250 cardinal Bank of Agriculture installation is being activated to scope smallholders.

According to updates from the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit, Shettima disclosed that the Green Imperative Project with Brazil is being repositioned for financing, portion the World Bank-backed AGROW programme is mapping precedence worth chains for rollout.

He besides revealed that the Harvesting Hope Caravan has reached fractional a cardinal citizens successful 8 states, “building spot and grassroots mobilisation. These are lifelines to farmers and impervious that NEC’s decisions resonate beyond these chambers.”

Other highlights of the NEC Meeting see the pursuing relationship Balances (as of 17 September 2025):• Excess Crude Account—$535,823.33, Stabilisation Account ₦83,495,784,133.24 and Natural Resources Account ₦ 125,818,396,257.41.

Also, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) CEO briefed the Council connected planetary trends and risks, including uneven planetary growth, divergent ostentation and policy, rising geopolitical tensions, and clime and technological shifts.

Key betterment challenges successful Nigeria were identified as: structural Bottlenecks: Energy and transport deficiencies inflate accumulation costs, portion overseas speech liquidity crises and over-reliance connected lipid weaken fiscal sustainability. Political Economy Risks: Political instability, predominant argumentation reversals, corruption, and the 2027 predetermination whitethorn hold reforms.Global Pressures: Climate change, commercialized tensions, superior flight, and a anemic concern basal look AfCFTA competition.

The Summit sub-themes include: driving industrialisation-led growth, gathering infrastructure for competitiveness, and unlocking concern amid planetary shifts.

The Council resolved to actively enactment successful the Summit to synergise ideas and mobilise enactment for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, briefed the Council connected Nigeria’s Anticipatory Action Framework, designed to trim the humanitarian and economical interaction of riverine flooding.

Objectives see protecting susceptible households successful 13 high-risk states, enabling timely interventions, institutionalising anticipatory enactment crossed MDAs, and ensuring equity successful response.

The Framework prioritises multipurpose currency assistance with ₦24 cardinal earmarked, portion enactment measures see evacuation sites, aboriginal informing systems, kid protection, and gender-based unit prevention.

The Council noted that portion 16 states person afloat established Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), 14 person none, 4 person partial setups, and 3 trust solely connected table officers. Governors were urged to fortify SEMAs and measurement up hazard connection to vuln...