Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on global stakeholders to deepen cooperation with Nigeria in rebuilding sustainable and inclusive food systems across Africa.
Shettima, who made the call on Tuesday during a panel on Country Perspectives: Government-led Strategies and Regional Frameworks at the UN Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, said true national sovereignty was incomplete without food sovereignty.
According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has designed a comprehensive strategy to address food security challenges, which mostly impact vulnerable citizens in conflict-affected regions.
The Vice President said Tinubu’s bold national strategy, including the declaration of a state of emergency on food security and the rollout of systemic reforms, was aimed at transforming agriculture into a resilient, youth-driven, market-based engine of economic growth.
“Our target is to attain food sovereignty. So long as a nation is not independent in the area of food sovereignty, it remains a non-sovereign nation,” the VP was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha.
He recalled that when Tinubu assumed office in 2023, his administration met a fragile food system worsened by insecurity, climate shocks, and inflationary pressures.
“His Excellency President Tinubu declared a State of Emergency on Food Security, not out of fear, but out of genuine concern for the welfare of our people, especially in conflict-driven environments like the North East, where Boko Haram was sowing seeds of discord and destruction,” he stated.
However, he explained that with 25 million vulnerable people across fragile regions, the government adopted coordinated policy measures, including the creation of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU) to harmonise all food security interventions.
He said, “We have also initiated food support mechanisms in the North East and North West. But we believe charity is not the answer. In Africa, we say that when you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach him to fish, you empower him for life. In our displaced people’s camps, we’re encouraging food production for dignity and resilience.”
The Vice President further stressed that Nigeria’s agricultural transformation strategy must be market-driven, powered by entrepreneurship and innovation.
“The whole mantra is about increasing yields. Entrepreneurial capitalism is embedded in the psyche of the average Nigerian,” he added.
To achieve this, he said the government was investing in improved seeds, extension services, climate-resilient farming, and mechanisation.
“We are reinforcing our extension services so that our farmers can get up-to-date information on rainfall patterns and how to manage the climate shocks ravaging our part of the world,” Shettima said.
