Public Administration and Policy Coherence in Federal Ministries: A Study of the Ministry of Agriculture

This study evaluates policy coherence within Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, examining whether agricultural policies across the ministry's various departments and programmes are aligned, mutually reinforcing, and consistent with the National Agricultural Policy Framework. Policy incoherence within government ministries generates contradictory signals to implementing agencies and target populations, wastes administrative resources, and undermines the credibility of government development commitments. Using a qualitative policy analysis design, the study draws on interviews with senior ministry officials, analysis of ministerial policy documents across five key programme areas including the Anchor Borrowers Programme, the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, and the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund, and external assessments by agricultural sector researchers and development partners. The policy coherence theory and the whole-of-government approach framework are applied to diagnose coordination failures within the ministry. Findings reveal significant incoherence across the ministry's programmes, with overlapping mandates, duplicated beneficiary targeting, and contradictory price signals created by simultaneously operating subsidy programmes and market liberalisation initiatives. Coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Central Bank of Nigeria's agricultural finance programmes is found to be particularly weak, resulting in implementation inefficiencies. Recommendations include a mandatory policy coherence review mechanism under the ministry's policy and strategy department, a unified agricultural programme registry to prevent duplication, and formal interministerial coordination protocols for agricultural finance. Keywords: public administration, policy coherence, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural policy, Nigeria