National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services

What National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services does

NAERLS is the Nigerian government institute responsible for agricultural extension research, training, and dissemination of innovations to farmers, operating as one of 18 National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. Founded in 1963 and headquartered at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, the institute employs over 700 staff including more than 90 Extension Specialists, and operates six zonal offices covering all of Nigeria's agro-ecological zones. Its mandate spans agricultural performance assessment, capacity building, technology transfer, and policy advisory, with the annual Agricultural Performance Survey covering all 36 Nigerian states and the FCT.

The institute's core technology platform includes the National Farmers Helpline (NFHL), a multi-language call center (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba) providing real-time advisory services via voice and SMS across all major mobile networks; the E-Extension Platform launched in 2017 for digital content delivery through web portals and mobile applications; the peer-reviewed Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Extension (NJAE); the newly launched Pilot Interactive Soil Recommendation Map offering 30-metre resolution soil advisory for Kaduna and Kano states; and AGTIVEX, an initiative with CONESAM Nigeria targeting rural youth engagement through digital agriculture tools, precision farming, and drone services.

NAERLS operates as a non-commercial, government-funded entity with an annual operating budget of approximately $7.8 million drawn from federal budgetary allocations and project grants from international development partners including AGRA, Sasakawa Africa Association (via the Nippon Foundation), the World Bank (L-PRES), and partnerships with the Central Bank of Nigeria and state Agricultural Development Programmes. All extension services, publications, helpline support, and training programs are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Primary end-users include over 100 million Nigerian farmers (82% smallholders), state extension agencies, federal and state policymakers, and rural youth and women targeted through specialized programs such as the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Center.

Name

National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services

Legal name

National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services

Website

https://naerls.gov.ng

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NAERLS is Nigeria's foremost government agricultural extension institute, one of 18 NARIs under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, providing free research, training, helpline, and digital advisory services (NFHL, E-Extension, APS reports) to over 100 million farmers across six agro-ecological zones.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Extension Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Soil & Terrain Mapping Services (EC/EM Scanning, Topography, Zone Delineation) (AFACACAE)

Keywords

• Agricultural extension services
• Farmer advisory services
• Agricultural research institute
• Capacity building agriculture
• Agricultural performance assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaduna

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: NAERLS is one of the 18 National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS). Funding comes from federal government budgetary allocations through the Federal Ministry. The Institute requires an annual operating budget of about $7.8 million.
2. Project Grants and Partnerships: NAERLS receives project funding from international development partners including AGRA, Sasakawa Africa Association, and participates in grant-funded initiatives like C4SEAS ($50,000 catalytic funding from Nippon Foundation).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NAERLS is Nigeria's national institute responsible for developing, collating, evaluating, and disseminating proven agricultural innovations and research on extension methodologies. It provides agricultural extension advisory services, conducts annual Agricultural Performance Surveys across all 36 states, publishes bulletins and a peer-reviewed journal, runs a National Farmers Helpline call center, and delivers training programs for extension personnel, farmers, and rural communities across six zonal offices covering all agro-ecological zones.

Product overview

NAERLS operates as a multi-product agricultural extension institute offering a coordinated portfolio of services including the National Farmers Helpline (NFHL) call center for real-time farmer advisory, the annual Agricultural Performance Survey (APS) reports, the peer-reviewed Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Extension (NJAE), and e-Extension services through web portals and mobile applications. The institute provides extension publications including bulletins, factsheets, and radio/TV programming in local languages, alongside specialized programs like AGTIVEX for youth engagement and the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Center. The NAER&PM facilitates annual coordination of Nigeria's extension system across six geo-political zones.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Farmers Helpline Center (NFHL): An agricultural-based Call Centre that provides farmers with agricultural information and advisory services in real-time. Located at NAERLS with regional offices in each geo-political zone.
• AGTIVEX

Products and services

• National Farmers Helpline (NFHL) An agricultural-based call centre that provides farmers with agricultural information and advisory services in real-time through phone (0814-239-8838, 0813-988-0860), SMS, and web channels, with regional offices in each geo-political zone of Nigeria. Services available in Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba.
• Agricultural Performance Survey (APS) Annual survey reports assessing agricultural sector performance, productivity constraints, technology dissemination, and providing evidence-based feedback for research, extension, and policy outcomes across Nigeria's 36 states and FCT.
• Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Extension (NJAE)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 farmers, students, and youths reached through extension publications in 2024
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistics DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026CBN seeking access to NAERLS Agricultural Performance Survey data for evidence-based policy implementation. Meeting on March 24, 2026 to deepen collaboration on data-driven agricultural policy development.
• Sasakawa Africa AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Partnership through C4SEAS (Coalition for Strengthening Extension and Advisory Services in Africa) project. Sasakawa Africa Association provides $50,000 catalytic funding from Nippon Foundation. Joint validation of soil health training modules and advisory tools.
• Ahmadu Bello University (ABU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025ABU designated as Anglophone West Africa Regional Training Hub for C4SEAS. NAERLS operates within ABU campus. Partnership with Faculty of Agriculture, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), and NIFAAS.
• Tena-Nova Agri-HubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025Newly established NGO focused on modernizing agriculture in Nigeria. Delegation visited NAERLS on May 27, 2025 to explore collaboration opportunities.
• Kaduna State Ministry of AgricultureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Participant in C4SEAS stakeholders workshop for validation of soil health training modules and advisory tools.
• Kano State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (KNARDA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 May 2025Partner in C4SEAS project implementation in Kano State.
• Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Collaboration on weather forecast advisories. Facilitated 3 weather forecast advisories through AGRA Kaduna Consortium.
• Beekeeping Extension Association of Nigeria (BEAN)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Partnership to secure funding from Standards Trade Development Facility (STDF) to enhance beekeeping activities in Nigeria.
• Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Parent ministry for NAERLS as one of 18 NARIs. NAERLS provides Agricultural Performance Survey reports and policy guidance to the ministry. Annual APS report presented to the Honourable Minister.
• Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2024World Bank-funded project providing infrastructure support to National Farmers Helpline including communication transmission and reception equipment.
• Bomo Old Students AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2024Community organization seeking collaboration with NAERLS for agricultural training and demonstration farm at GDSS Bomo.
• L-PressminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 March 2024Partnership through MoU signed in 2024 to strengthen collaboration and media coverage of NAERLS activities.
• CONESAM NigeriamajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for AGTIVEX (Agricultural Technology and Innovation Exchange) platform designed to change youth engagement in agriculture. Includes RISA-KECC project collaboration.
• Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 February 2023NAERLS pays courtesy visit to FRCN Kaduna zonal office to improve existing collaboration on agricultural broadcasts in the country.
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Long-standing partnership through AGRA-NAERLS Projects (2019-2021 and 2022-2025) implemented in Niger and Kaduna States. Focus on Community-Based Advisor model, technology dissemination, climate-smart villages, and processing centers. AGRA monitoring team visited in July 2025 to assess Kaduna Consortium achievements 2021-2024.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sasakawa Africa Association: Sasakawa Africa Association is one of NAERLS's most direct peers and partners in African agricultural extension delivery, co-funding the C4SEAS project ($50,000 catalytic funding from the Nippon Foundation). Both organizations focus on smallholder extension, capacity building, and technology dissemination, making SAA the closest functional peer for NAERLS's core extension mandate.
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA): AGRA is both a strategic partner (2019–2025 NAERLS consortium projects in Kaduna/Niger) and a direct peer in African agricultural development, focused on smallholder productivity, technology dissemination, and the Community-Based Advisor model that NAERLS has scaled to 1,082 CBAs.

Emerging players

• Digital Green: Digital Green is a peer organization pioneering ICT-enabled agricultural extension (video-mediated and now digital advisory) across South Asia and Africa. Its approach closely mirrors NAERLS's E-Extension Platform and pilot Interactive Soil Recommendation Map, making it a relevant peer for digital extension innovation and methodology.
• Farmerline: Farmerline is a Ghana-based agritech company providing digital extension, input financing, and market access services to West African smallholders. As an emerging private-sector peer in the digital extension space where NAERLS also operates (NFHL, e-Extension, Smart Farm Plus partnership), Farmerline represents the type of venture-backed competitor that may capture tech-savvy farmers first.

Broad incumbents

• CGIAR System Organization: CGIAR is the global network of agricultural research centers (including IITA, AfricaRice, ICRISAT) whose research outputs NAERLS disseminates to Nigerian farmers via its extension mandate. CGIAR's research-to-development pipeline is functionally the upstream of NAERLS's extension-to-farmer pipeline.
• International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA): IITA is a CGIAR center headquartered in Ibadan, Nigeria, and is the historic peer and partial predecessor of NAERLS (NAERLS originated from a section within IAR, an ABU/IITA-affiliated institute). Both organizations work on tropical agricultural research and technology dissemination, but IITA operates a much broader pan-African and global research mandate.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): FAO is the global reference organization for agricultural extension policy, performance assessment, and capacity building, mirroring NAERLS's national-level mandate at a global scale. FAO's publications and frameworks often shape the methodology of NAERLS's Agricultural Performance Surveys and extension programming.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): ICAR is the apex national agricultural research and extension body of India, analogous in role to NAERLS within Nigeria's 18-NARI system. ICAR's extensive network of institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (farm science centers), and digital extension initiatives (e.g., Kisan Call Centres) provides a scaled model that NAERLS's NFHL and e-Extension platforms resemble.

Regional players

• Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO): KALRO is the Kenyan national agricultural research organization with a comparable mandate to NAERLS: multi-thematic agricultural research, technology dissemination, and capacity building for East African smallholders. KALRO serves as a strong regional analog for what a well-funded national African ag-research institute looks like at scale.
• AfricaRice: AfricaRice is a CGIAR center focused on rice research and technology dissemination across Africa, with comparable research-and-liaison responsibilities to NAERLS in its specific crop domain. AfricaRice's rice value chain extension activities parallel NAERLS's broader multi-crop extension portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/naerls1
• Xx.com/naerls

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services