FG Reaffirms Commitment to Food Security, Job Creation Through Agriculture

The Federal Government has renewed its commitment to addressing food insecurity and unemployment in Nigeria by strengthening the agricultural and livestock sectors.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, made this known on Monday at the second International Conference of the Agrifood Systems Stakeholders Forum held at the University of Port Harcourt.

The conference, organised by the Agricultural Policy Research Network (APRNet), brought together stakeholders to discuss practical solutions to food insecurity, poverty and youth unemployment.

Represented by the Director of Ruminant and Monogastric Development, Victor Egbon, the minister commended APRNet for organising the conference and urged stakeholders to work closely with the Federal Government to advance agricultural development.

Maiha said the government’s coordinated national livestock development agenda was designed to increase agricultural productivity, create employment opportunities and rebuild public confidence in the sector.

He acknowledged that the agricultural industry continued to face several challenges, including climate change, flooding, drought, land degradation and rising input costs.

Other concerns, he said, included animal diseases, post-harvest losses, poor market connections and limited access to financing.

According to him, these challenges also present opportunities to develop a more productive, inclusive and climate-resilient agrifood system capable of generating decent employment, particularly for women and young people.

Maiha noted that the livestock value chain offered significant investment opportunities in areas such as animal feed production, hatcheries, dairy collection, animal health services, storage, processing and logistics.

He also highlighted waste-to-wealth businesses as another area with considerable potential that has yet to be fully exploited.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Princewill Chike, described agriculture as a key sector that could help address brain drain and youth migration in Nigeria.

Chike noted that the continued migration of skilled young Nigerians was contributing to brain drain and slowing economic development across Africa.

He therefore urged governments and policymakers to make agriculture more attractive and profitable for young people as part of efforts to tackle the “Japa” trend.

The vice-chancellor also commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for giving greater attention to agriculture, while calling for consistency and sustainability in agricultural policies.

The President and Conference Coordinator of APRNet, Prof. Anthony Onoja, thanked the organisation’s partners for supporting the conference and called for stronger cooperation among government, academia, farmers and other stakeholders.

Onoja, who lectures in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management at the University of Port Harcourt, said the conference was aimed at combining academic research with practical policy solutions to hunger, poverty and unemployment.

He said the meeting was expected to develop sustainable strategies for improving farm productivity, strengthening resilience against climate-related challenges and addressing conflicts affecting agricultural activities.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the conference received support from the Federal Government, the European Union and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, among other partners

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