Yesterday, the United Nations committed to supporting Nigeria in achieving food security and fostering regional stability.
During a high-level meeting in Abuja, the minister of agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari, and UN deputy secretary-general Dr Amina Mohammed discussed strategies for addressing the country’s ongoing food crisis.
The visit aimed to strengthen the mutual partnership between Nigeria and the United Nations in agriculture and food security.
Dr Mohammed stressed the critical role that strong institutions play in tackling food insecurity, noting that without these, Nigeria’s potential to overcome its challenges would be severely limited.
She acknowledged the country’s complex issues, including the impacts of climate change, internal conflicts, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine as they affect the global food supply chain.
She said Nigeria needs urgent and coordinated action to tackle food security while urging the government to leverage domestic resources to attract further international support.
The deputy secretary-general also stressed the importance of modernising Nigeria’s agricultural sector and advocated for increased investment in green energy and digital technologies.
She pointed out that these innovations could transform farming into an attractive and sustainable profession, particularly for the nation’s youth.
“For us, this visit, we hope, will give you the visibility and the support that the United Nations continues to consolidate and to increase in convening many more partners for the challenges.
“We from the international community will make sure that we do our best to support you to meet those expectations in a country that is challenged, but I still believe it has more potential than the challenges, and I look forward to seeing the success”, she said.
Earlier, in his remarks, the minister of agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari, expressed optimism that the UN’s support would further bolster Nigeria’s agricultural sector and contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to poverty and hunger eradication.
“Your visit to the FMAFS-Nigeria is apt and timely to create a new paradigm shift that will further improve the agriculture sector with food systems, the UN transformation pathway and request to establish a stronger partnership to strengthen the existing cooperation and make projects for new ties for sustainable development.
We must rise to the occasion and invest massively in agriculture, leveraging the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 2. You could use your global influence to explore opportunities for Nigeria to create jobs, diversify the economy and reduce food imports”, the minister said.
