The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have called for greater investment in innovative, production-oriented food systems across Nigeria to boost resilience and food security in fragile regions.
This call was made during a joint session of both organisations on the sidelines of the Nigeria Economic Summit in Abuja, themed “Investing in Innovative Food Systems Solutions in Challenging Contexts.”
The UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Fall, said such investments would not only tackle food insecurity but also strengthen peace and stability across vulnerable areas.
“What we discuss today, food, innovation, resilience, is not only about agriculture. It is about peace, it is about stability, it is about the dignity of the people we are serving,” he said.
Fall noted that despite persistent insecurity, farmers and rural communities continued to demonstrate courage and resilience. He cited examples from Yobe, Kano, Maiduguri, and Katsina, where farmers, women’s cooperatives, and young innovators were rebuilding agricultural value chains against all odds.
He referenced a joint study by the WFP, AfDB, and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which revealed that food systems in fragile contexts were “not broken but unfinished,” calling for more trust, investment, and partnerships to complete them.
According to him, Nigeria’s success under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro-Pocket, which tripled wheat production within a year, showed how coordinated policies and investments could drive transformation.
He added that the UN system would continue supporting Nigeria’s food security agenda through initiatives aimed at reducing post-harvest losses, boosting local production, and linking farmers to markets.
Dr Abdul Kamara, Director-General of AfDB’s Nigeria Country Department, who moderated the session, said addressing food insecurity required moving beyond humanitarian aid to long-term, investment-driven solutions.
“Africa must move from fragmented interventions to comprehensive, action-oriented, and large-scale investments,” he stated, stressing the need for innovative financing, strong national ownership, and technology-driven policies.
Kamara observed that over 10 billion dollars had been spent on humanitarian interventions in Northern Nigeria since the onset of conflict, noting that similar levels of investment in production could have transformed the region’s food landscape.
He called on development partners, government, and the private sector to co-invest in sustainable food systems that promote resilience, expand production, and strengthen storage, processing, and financing mechanisms for farmers.
Stakeholders at the session reaffirmed their commitment to building resilient food systems through inclusive investments that promote peace, create jobs, and ensure lasting food security in Nigeria.
(NAN)
