Nigerian Government reiterates commitment to National goal, SDGs
The Federal Government of Nigeria says it is determined to achieve the national goal, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and continental initiatives through the robust implementation of the re-focused National Development Plan (NDP 2021 – 2025) and the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP 2022-2027), to always ensure food security, economic diversification and wealth creation in the country.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, revealed this during the national dialogue on the performance of Nigeria at the third Biennial Review on the implementation of the comprehensive Africa agriculture development programme in Abuja.
He said in the ministry, that evidence-based data for effective policy formulation and tracking of performance is being strengthened with the concept of the National Agricultural Data Management Information System (NADMIS).
According to him, this is meant to facilitate quality data collection, analysis, harmonisation and storage for the overall planning, monitoring, evaluating and reporting initiatives, programmes and projects at the global, continental, regional and national levels.
He said: “Indeed, this meeting is meant to enable stakeholders to identify data gaps and possible sources for the next Biennial Review process, as well as pinpoint the areas for the preparation of policy brief for the articulation of projects and programmes towards enhancing the process of attaining the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), commitments by 2025.
“We believe that this session, as recommended by the Africa Union Commission, would strengthen the collaboration among stakeholders for an enhanced country performance at the next Biennial Review cycle.”
“I, therefore, urge you all to critically look at the detailed country results and recommend policy options to speed up the achievement of the AU CAADP Process’ commitments by 2025.”
The Permanent Secretary expressed conviction that the contributions of stakeholders at the meeting would concretise the efforts of the ministry towards achieving its mandate, regional, continental and global agenda.
In repositioning the sector and enabling agribusiness undertakings in the country, he said the ministry’s priority deliverables are rural infrastructure provision, intensification of research and innovation, land management, technology application, extension service delivery, agricultural financing, value chain development, youth empowerment, food reserve and food quality.
On her part, the Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, who regretted Nigeria’s budgetary allocation to the sector, said for the country to be on track in meeting the 2014 Malabo Declaration Commitments, the Federal Government and other tiers of government have been advised to commit at least 10 per cent of their annual budgets to the sector required to support at least six per cent growth rate for the sector as postulated in the CAADP framework.
Obi stressed that investments should focus on strategic areas of Extension Services, Access to Credit, Women in Agriculture, Youth in Agriculture, Appropriate Labour-Saving Technologies, Inputs, Post-Harvest Losses Reduction Supports (processing facilities, storage facilities, training, market access, etc.), Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture (CRSA)/Agroecology, Research and Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, as well as Coordination.
The Guardian
