FG, Oyo, IITA, World Bank Collaborate to Unlock Nigeria’s Agricultural Potential
By Oluwaseyi Oduneye-Ogunwomoju
The Federal Government, Oyo State Government, World Bank and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have intensified collaboration to address gaps in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain and strengthen food security.
The stakeholders made their positions known during the launch of the Nigeria AgriConnect Compact, a World Bank-funded initiative designed to transform Nigeria into a leading regional food basket.
The initiative seeks to improve agricultural productivity, expand processing, strengthen market access and mobilise private-sector investment across key value chains, including rice, maize and cassava.
It also targets the creation of 2.56 million jobs by 2030, while unlocking the country’s agricultural potential and supporting its food and economic transformation agenda.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Abubakar Kyari, said the major challenge confronting Nigeria’s agricultural sector was no longer a lack of programmes or investments.
Kyari said substantial resources were already being committed to irrigation, rural roads, livestock, finance, land restoration, processing and market access.
He, however, said the challenge was to ensure that the various investments complemented one another to produce greater results.
“Agriculture is a system, and when one part of that system is disconnected, the value of the investment elsewhere is diminished.
“The Nigeria AgriConnect Compact gives us a practical framework for doing precisely that. It aligns investments already underway and guides those that come next in line to share national outcomes,” he said.
According to him, the initiative is designed to connect existing interventions, close gaps and ensure that public resources, development finance and private capital deliver greater impact.
Kyari said the Federal Government remained committed to transforming agriculture and strengthening food security across the country.
Also speaking, Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State said converting Nigeria’s agricultural potential into affordable food, productive jobs, stronger rural economies and competitive businesses should remain a priority.
Makinde said Nigeria had no shortage of farmers, research institutions, fertile land or agricultural opportunities, but noted that these advantages had not translated sufficiently into improved livelihoods and affordable food.
“We have hardworking farmers, respected research institutions, and within perhaps a 15-to-20-kilometre radius of here, at least six or seven research institutes.
“We also have innovative young people, fertile land and a large domestic market. Yet, many farmers remain poor, food remains expensive, and too much of what we produce is lost before it reaches consumers,” he said.
The governor said the situation demonstrated that increased production alone could not resolve the country’s agricultural challenges.
He called for a holistic approach linking agricultural production with security, research, extension services, finance, rural roads, storage, processing, standards, logistics and markets.
“Production must connect to security, research, extension services, finance, rural roads, storage, processing, standards, logistics and markets.
“If one part of that chain fails, the farmer earns less, the processor operates below capacity, and the consumer pays more,” Makinde said.
He said the value of AgriConnect would depend on its ability to bring government, research institutions, financial institutions, development partners, farmers and private enterprises together under a common delivery framework.
The Nigeria AgriConnect Compact provides a framework for coordinating existing projects and guiding the development of new interventions over the next five years, in alignment with national agricultural sector priorities.
It seeks to increase smallholder farmers’ productivity, modernise agricultural policies to attract private investment and establish financing mechanisms that improve access to credit for farmers and agribusinesses.
The initiative also aims to strengthen coordination and funding for projects addressing food and nutrition needs for nearly three million people within the next five to 10 years.
In addition, it targets about 2.5 million new and better jobs through stronger agricultural value chains, increased smallholder productivity and improved access to markets.
The value-chain development component is expected to focus on staple crops, cash crops and livestock, with emphasis on linking production to processing, finance and markets.