Vice President Kashim Shettima has engaged in high-level bilateral meetings with top officials of leading global food and development agencies on how to revive the Lake Chad region.
VP Shettima met with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), QU Dongyu; the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Álvaro Lario; and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain.
The meetings took place on the sidelines of the UN Food Systems Summit in Ethiopia.
In his meeting with the FAO Director General, VP Shettima sought the organisation’s partnership in reviving the Lake Chad region, enhancing all-year farming, and supporting the Green Revolution Project of the Nigerian Government.
He said: “The revival of the Lake Chad region, which is being threatened by multidimensional challenges such as environmental degradation, climate change, humanitarian crises, and conflict, requires a multi-pronged approach, development initiatives, conflict resolution, regional cooperation, and large-scale infrastructure.”
VP Shettima emphasised the region’s enormous agricultural potential, urging FAO to play a central role in its recovery.
FAO’s Director-General, QU Dongyu, praised the political will of the Tinubu administration, describing it as ‘a clear demonstration of committed leadership to transform Nigeria’s food systems.’
He pledged enhanced FAO partnership and technical support.
Smallholder Farmers
In a similar meeting with IFAD President, Álvaro Lario, VP Shettima underscored the administration’s resolve to empower smallholder farmers, especially youth and women, with access to finance, mechanisation, and modern inputs.
“We are focusing on increased productivity, resilience, and commercialization, not handouts,” VP Shettima noted,
He stresses that Nigeria’s plan includes scaling up existing IFAD-supported projects to reach more rural communities.
The Vice President also held talks with WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain, during which he commended the organisation’s longstanding humanitarian interventions in Nigeria.
He, however, reiterated the administration’s shift toward sustainable solutions.
McCain pledged WFP’s continued commitment to working with the Nigerian government in areas such as school feeding, nutrition, and support for displaced communities.
Mercy Chukwudiebere