A Practical ICT-Based Automated Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Finance and Financial Inclusion in Nigeria

Agricultural financing institutions in Nigeria are still structurally fragmented despite growing efforts to promote digital inclusion initiatives. Majority of the existing Agri-Fintech interventions concentrate on digital payments, mobile access or isolated credit analytics; however, they rarely offer an integrated architecture that connects data capture, decision-making automation, secure execution and continuous monitoring. In order to addresses that gap, this study proposed a Design Science-grounded ICT-based automation framework that restructures agricultural financial service delivery as an end-to-end system. Drawing on recent literature, the framework translates documented problem clusters into a five-layer architecture that includes stakeholder data formalization, interoperable ICT integration, embedded decision intelligence, secure transaction execution and adaptive feedback mechanisms. Each layer directly addresses a literature-identified systemic weakness, with explicit traceability between theoretical gaps and architectural components. An illustrative system execution scenario is used to demonstrate operational feasibility and end-to-end process flow. Evaluation results indicate that the framework improves integration, reduces decision time, enhances transaction traceability and supports inclusion in low-connectivity environments. The system reduces information asymmetry and limits fund diversion through controlled execution mechanisms. The framework offers a context-aware blueprint suitable for low-connectivity and high-risk agricultural environments, emphasizing execution integrity, transparency and institutional accountability. Despite being conceptual, the model establishes a systematic framework for prototyping, empirical validation and extendable policy implementation in developing countries.

agricultural finance, financial inclusion, ICT in agriculture

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