First Trustees Limited, a subsidiary of FirstHoldCo Plc and one of Nigeria’s leading providers of fiduciary and trusteeship services, has hosted the maiden edition of its Commercial Trust Colloquium, themed “Beyond Intervention Funds: Building Sustainable Financing Models for Nigerian Agriculture.”
The event brought together key stakeholders from the public and private sectors to explore financing solutions capable of unlocking the long-term potential of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Agriculture remains central to Nigeria’s food security, employment, industrial growth and economic diversification. While intervention funds have provided critical support over the years, the scale of the opportunity requires more resilient, scalable and market-driven financing models capable of attracting long-term private capital and supporting viable businesses across the agricultural value chain.
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The Commercial Trust Colloquium provided a platform for policymakers, financial institutions, investors, development partners, agribusiness operators and capital market stakeholders to examine alternative financing structures beyond traditional intervention mechanisms.
Discussions focused on strengthening agricultural value chains, improving risk allocation, boosting productivity and building the confidence required to sustain investment in the sector.
Speaking on the conditions required to achieve sustainable agricultural financing, Ereifemi Akeredolu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of First Trustees Limited, said:
“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 noted that trust institutions have an important role to play in establishing accountability, protecting the interests of participating parties and helping to ensure that agreed obligations are fulfilled.
According to her, these functions can support the development of credible, long-term structures capable of keeping capital committed to Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
In addition to the thought-leadership discussions, First Trustees unveiled its upgraded digital experience platform, marking a significant milestone in the company’s digital transformation journey.
The platform is designed to simplify client interactions by digitising key trust-service processes, reducing paperwork, streamlining documentation and providing a more efficient service experience.
Through a secure and user-friendly interface, the platform gives clients greater control directly from their mobile devices, bringing wills, trusts and other services together in a seamless digital experience.
The upgrade reflects First Trustees’ commitment to leveraging technology to improve accessibility, convenience, operational efficiency and the overall client experience.
The unveiling represents a strategic step towards modernising trust administration and delivering services that respond to the evolving expectations of today’s digitally connected clients.
