By Felicia Imohimi
The Federal Government, ActionAid Nigeria and other stakeholders have validated Nigeria’s Agrifood System Strategy and Action Plan to drive the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration 2026–2035.
Sen. Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, said the strategy was developed following a presidential directive to contextualise and domesticate the Kampala Declaration for Nigeria.
Kyari, who spoke at the National Validation of Nigeria’s Strategy and Action Plan for the Implementation of the CAADP Kampala Declaration on Wednesday in Abuja, said agriculture remained central to Nigeria’s development.
He said the sector supported the livelihoods of more than 70 per cent of Nigerians, drove rural economies and contributed greatly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
However, the minister noted that agriculture continued to face challenges, especially climate change vulnerabilities, which threatened the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and national food sovereignty.
“While the Kampala Declaration provides the continental framework, the new Action Plan is Nigeria’s own response. It moves beyond subsistence farming to champion agricultural industrialisation, value addition and resilience.
“The strategy will address fragmentation and weak coordination that have constrained results in the past.
“It will also provide a single framework to attract public and private investment, integrate CAADP Biennial Review indicators into planning and budgeting, and mobilise blended financing to expand access to inputs, technology, credit and agricultural insurance,” he said.
Kyari urged stakeholders to provide inputs that would strengthen implementation arrangements, measurable targets, timelines and performance indicators, with particular attention to smallholder farmers, women, youth and vulnerable groups.
“This is not just a document; it is a living blueprint that will guide our actions, investments and partnerships over the next decade.
“I call on all ministries, departments and agencies at federal, state and local levels, as well as the private sector and civil society, to align their budgets and programmes with the strategy,” he said.
He added that the deliberations would bring Nigeria closer to having a unified and implementation-ready strategy capable of delivering food security, rural prosperity and resilience.
Also, Dede Ekoue, Country Director of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), described the strategic action plan as critical to collective efforts to transform Nigeria’s agrifood system.
Ekoue said the plan contained six pillars aimed at empowering women and youth, transforming agricultural value chains, improving profitability for farmers and strengthening climate resilience.
“It also focuses on how to strengthen governance and coordination of the sector.
“When we have a sector as important as the agrifood sector, which includes agriculture, livestock and aquaculture, we need to ensure that coordination is done properly and that all stakeholders work together,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CAADP was adopted by African leaders in Maputo in 2003, with commitments to allocate 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture and achieve six per cent annual agricultural growth.
The 2026 Kampala Declaration renews the commitment with a broader systems-based approach covering value chains, resilience, inclusivity and governance. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
FUA/TAK
Edited by Tosin Kolade