First Trustees Limited urged the adoption of innovative and sustainable financing models for Nigeria’s agricultural sector at its maiden Commercial Trust Colloquium in Lagos, stressing that access to capital alone cannot address the industry’s challenges.
The event, themed “Beyond Intervention Funds: Building Sustainable Financing Models for Nigerian Agriculture,” convened public and private stakeholders to examine alternative funding mechanisms and ways to attract long‑term private investment into the sector.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ereifemi Akeredolu said sustainable agricultural development depends on more than the availability of funds. She explained that investors need confidence in the structures, governance and risk‑management mechanisms surrounding their investments.
“In my work across trust and financial services, I have seen that sustainable growth is rarely the result of funding alone. Capital moves more confidently when responsibilities are clear, risks are properly understood, governance is sound and all parties can rely on the structures around a transaction,” Akeredolu said.
Akeredolu highlighted the role of trust institutions in strengthening accountability, protecting the interests of parties to transactions and ensuring compliance with agreed obligations—functions she said are critical to building financing structures capable of supporting viable agricultural businesses over the long term.
Participants examined challenges across the agricultural value chain, including risk allocation, productivity, financing gaps and the need to deepen private‑sector participation, and explored mechanisms for moving beyond government intervention funds to mobilise sustainable private capital.
The event also featured the unveiling of First Trustees’ upgraded digital platform, which aims to digitise trust‑service processes, reduce paperwork and simplify documentation requirements for clients.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
