By Kehinde Ibrahim
FIRST Trustees Limited, a subsidiary of FirstHoldCo Plc and a leading provider of fiduciary and trusteeship services in Nigeria, has called for a shift from reliance on intervention funds to more sustainable, market-driven financing models capable of attracting long-term private capital into the agricultural sector.
The company made the call at the maiden edition of its Commercial Trust Colloquium, themed “Beyond Intervention Funds: Building Sustainable Financing Models for Nigerian Agriculture, “which brought together stakeholders from the public and private sectors to examine innovative approaches to financing agriculture and unlocking the sector’s long-term economic potential.
The colloquium attracted policymakers, financial institutions, investors, development finance institutions, agribusiness operators and capital market stakeholders, who explored the challenges limiting the flow of sustainable capital into agriculture and possible mechanisms for addressing them.
Agriculture remains a critical component of Nigeria’s economy, with significant implications for food security, employment generation, industrial development and economic diversification. However, stakeholders at the event noted that while government intervention funds have played an important role in supporting agricultural activities, the scale of Nigeria’s agricultural potential requires financing structures capable of mobilising significantly larger pools of long-term capital.
The discussions therefore focused on the need to develop financing models that are commercially viable, scalable and capable of supporting businesses across the agricultural value chain, from production and processing to storage, logistics and distribution.
The participants also examined ways to strengthen agricultural value chains, improve productivity, enhance risk allocation and create the level of confidence required to attract sustained investment from private-sector investors and institutional capital providers.
Speaking on the conditions necessary to build sustainable financing structures for agriculture, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of First Trustees Limited, Ereifemi Akeredolu, said sustainable growth could not be achieved through funding alone.
“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,” she said.
Akeredolu emphasised the role of trust institutions in creating structures that promote accountability, protect the interests of transaction participants and ensure that agreed obligations are properly fulfilled.
According to her, a well-structured trust framework can provide the confidence and transparency required to support long-term investments, particularly in sectors such as agriculture where financing often involves multiple stakeholders, extended investment cycles and varying levels of risk.
She added that strengthening the institutional framework around agricultural financing would be essential to attracting sustainable private capital and developing commercially viable businesses across the sector.
The colloquium also highlighted the importance of moving beyond short-term financing interventions towards structures that encourage investment based on the underlying viability and cash-flow potential of agricultural businesses.
Such an approach, stakeholders noted, would require stronger risk-management mechanisms, improved governance, reliable market structures and financing arrangements that align the interests of investors, lenders, agribusinesses and other participants in the value chain.
The event also provided an opportunity for First Trustees to showcase its growing focus on technology and service innovation with the unveiling of its upgraded digital experience platform.
The new platform is designed to simplify access to the company’s trust services by digitising key processes, reducing paperwork, streamlining documentation and improving interactions between the company and its clients.
Through a secure and user-friendly interface, clients can access and manage services relating to wills, trusts and other fiduciary solutions through a more integrated digital experience.
The digital upgrade forms part of First Trustees’ broader transformation strategy aimed at improving accessibility, convenience and operational efficiency while responding to the changing expectations of digitally connected customers.
The company said the platform would provide clients with greater control and convenience by making key trust-related services more accessible through mobile devices and other digital channels.
The unveiling also underscores the growing role of technology in modernising fiduciary and trusteeship services, as financial institutions increasingly deploy digital solutions to improve service delivery, transparency and customer engagement.
For First Trustees, the combination of the Commercial Trust Colloquium and the launch of its enhanced digital platform reflect its broader focus on innovation, institutional trust and the development of solutions that address emerging needs within Nigeria’s financial and business environment.
The company said it would continue to support conversations and initiatives aimed at strengthening financial structures, improving investor confidence and creating sustainable pathways for capital mobilisation across critical sectors of the Nigerian economy.
