Bagudu reaffirms FG’s commitment to agri-food system transformation

Orisemeke Benjamin

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s agrifood system through stronger collaboration, institutional reforms, science-driven agriculture, and increased private-sector investment to achieve national food security and reduce poverty.

The minister made this statement while speaking at the 2nd Biannual Meeting of the Agrifood Systems Working Group (ASWG), convened by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Abuja.

Bagudu commended the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, for leading the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) 2026–2035, noting that the continental framework aligns with Nigeria’s long-standing commitment to building a resilient and inclusive food system.

He stressed that although the African Union’s agricultural agenda runs from 2026 to 2035, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has set an even more ambitious national target to lift Nigerians out of poverty by 2030 through inclusive economic growth, food security, and improved livelihoods.

According to the minister, food security is central to Nigeria’s development agenda and is enshrined in the Constitution, which describes agriculture as a shared responsibility of the Federal, State, and Local Governments within the country’s cooperative federal system.

Bagudu highlighted the scale of Nigeria’s agricultural landscape, disclosing that the country has over 42 million agricultural households, predominantly smallholder family farms, which he described as the backbone of the nation’s food system.

He said that supporting these households in becoming more productive and profitable remains critical to ensuring food security, generating surplus production, reducing poverty, and stimulating economic growth.

“The success of Nigeria’s food system depends on empowering our millions of farming households with the support, technology, financing, and market opportunities they need to produce more efficiently and improve their incomes,” he said.

Bagudu emphasised that agriculture must no longer be seen solely as the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, describing it as a sector that requires coordinated contributions from science, technology, finance, women, youth, research institutions, and the private sector.

He underscored the need to modernise agricultural production through innovation and scientific research, noting that improved technology would increase productivity and profitability and attract greater investment into the sector.

While acknowledging that security challenges have affected agricultural productivity in parts of the country, he said significant progress has been made in restoring farming activities in previously affected communities, particularly in the North-East, where improved harvests demonstrate the resilience of Nigerian farmers.