Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, on Thursday unveiled Nigeria’s 10-year Agrifood System Strategy and Action Plan, declaring the federal government was determined to move beyond fragmented agricultural interventions and build a resilient food system capable of guaranteeing food sovereignty, reducing poverty and driving inclusive economic growth. Kyari, who spoke at the Agrifood System Working Group (ASWG) meeting in Abuja, said the strategy, developed under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration (2026–2035), represented a new direction for Nigeria’s agricultural sector by shifting focus from isolated projects to an integrated food systems approach. He said the plan would address the entire agrifood chain, including production, processing, markets, resilience, investment, nutrition and governance. According to the minister, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu considers food security a national security imperative and had directed the development of a comprehensive roadmap with measurable targets and implementation pathways capable of transforming Nigeria’s food system. “The President has given us a clear and urgent charge: to move beyond rhetoric, beyond pilot projects, and beyond fragmented interventions, and instead deliver a coherent, bankable, and implementable plan that will fundamentally transform Nigeria’s agrifood system for the long term,” Kyari said. He disclosed the strategy, developed through extensive consultations across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and national engagements, would be presented for adoption by stakeholders before being forwarded to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval. The minister said such approval would ensure that Ministries, Departments and Agencies align their programmes, policies and budgets with the country’s agrifood transformation vision. Kyari noted that Nigeria’s agrifood system supports more than 70 per cent of the population, drives rural economies, contributes significantly to GDP and provides opportunities for job creation, industrialisation and foreign exchange earnings. He explained that the CAADP Kampala Declaration builds on previous continental commitments but introduces a broader approach that focuses on sustainable production, resilience, value-chain development, inclusivity and accountability. The declaration, he said, commits African countries to increasing agrifood output, tripling intra-African trade in agrifood products and inputs, reducing post-harvest losses by 50 per cent, improving nutrition outcomes, ensuring access to healthy diets, mobilising $100 billion in investments and narrowing the gender productivity gap by 2035. Kyari identified governance as the foundation for achieving these targets, stressing that strong coordination, effective institutions and accountability mechanisms would determine the success of Nigeria’s implementation plan. While government outlined its transformation agenda, ActionAid Nigeria’s Food Systems Specialist, Azubike Nwokoye, warned that inadequate agricultural investment at federal and state levels could undermine the implementation of the new strategy. Nwokoye, speaking at the meeting, said an analysis conducted by the organisation through a newly developed dashboard showed poor performance in agricultural capital spending across many states between 2023 and 2025. He said the assessment, which covered Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, revealed that in 2025, 16 states recorded very low performance in agricultural capital spending, eight states recorded medium performance, while only 10 states achieved high performance. “The findings are not encouraging. Between 2023 and 2025, Nigeria has performed poorly in terms of capital spending on agriculture,” he said. Nwokoye stressed that beyond budget allocations, stakeholders must examine where agricultural funds were being deployed to ensure they deliver maximum impact. He said the analysis showed that many states were spending only about three per cent of their capital budgets on agriculture, while federal capital spending on the sector was also below what was required to meet national and continental commitments. He warned that Nigeria’s combined agricultural allocation by the 36 states and the FCT for 2026 stood at only 4.58 per cent, far below the 10 per cent benchmark under the Maputo, Malabo and Kampala commitments. “As a country, we must act quickly, including through complementary budgets where necessary, if we are to meet these commitments,” he said. Nwokoye however said increased investment in agriculture could significantly boost employment creation. According to him, ActionAid’s analysis showed
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