A university don and president, Agricultural Policy Research Network, APRNet, Prof. Anthony Onoja, has commended the federal government for inaugurating the Agricultural Sector Working Group (ASWG) to ensure food security in the country.
Prof. Onoja gave the commendation while speaking to LEADERSHIP-Sunday in Jos yesterday.
He said the inauguration of the group was timely, stressing that one of the factors affecting the Agricultural Promotion Policy implementation was poor attention being given to critical infrastructure provisions to create the enabling environment for operators to thrive.
Onoja argued that research need to be carried out by multi-stakeholders from the academia and communities that would promote innovations with practical solutions to problems faced by farmers and investors.
The minister of agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari, recently inaugurated ASWG in Abuja aimed at driving the implementation of agri-food system transformation in line with the resolution of the African Union Heads of State.
Speaking during the inauguration, Kyari, who also chairs the ASWG, said the group would meet quarterly to appraise the sector’s performance, identify gaps, and propose alternative strategies to drive sustainable growth and development.
According to him, the forum brings together six key stakeholder groups in the agricultural sector which include the public and private sectors, research institutions, farmer organisations, civil society organisations and development partners.
Kyari further stated that these groups collectively shape the trajectory of agriculture in the country as the formation of the ASWG aligns with the broader resolution of the African Union Heads of State on agri-food system transformation, which seeks to enhance food security, nutrition, and sustainable agricultural development across the continent.
