July 25, (THEWILL) – Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Monday, said Nigeria has invested about $521 billion to support the country’s national food systems transformation to a higher performing, sustainable and more equitable level.
Shettima stated this while speaking at the high-level meeting, which he chaired on the first day of the UN Food Systems Summit in Rome, Italy.
He said the funds were mobilised from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the African Development Bank (AFDB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
According to the Vice President, the administration of President Bola Tinubu is “geared towards a trinity of objectives, ending hunger in Nigeria by ensuring food security and nutrition.”
“We have that as a moral obligation to bring hunger to an end in our country. Honestly, we have no business being poor but right now, more than 133 million Nigerians are suffering from multi-dimensional poverty.
“Two, providing a decent income for our farmers and thereby catalysing increased yield and economic growth.
“Thirdly and most importantly, by ensuring environmental sustainability, food systems pose a major risk to the climate and environmental agenda, contributing up to one-third of greenhouse gas emissions; up to 70%, 80% of biodiversity loss, and uses up to 70% of freshwater,” he added.
Shettima, who described IFAD as “magic makers,” said Nigeria’s partnership with the institution has enabled the country to roll on the value chain development programme.
“And the success story speaks for itself; it has empowered 100,000 small-scale farmers to get out of the poverty trap and 100,000 is by no means a small number. By linking them up with major international marketing firms like OLAM, which has a global turnover of $14.4 billion per annum, they have successfully lifted themselves and their families out of poverty,” he said.
The Vice President said the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) and Special Agricultural Zones (SAPZ) represent a unique and concrete model of mobilising transformative investment to develop Nigeria’s food systems.
“It is truly a paradigm shift in agricultural financing and it is worthy of emulation in all developing nations across the world. I want to thank the Islamic Development Bank, the IFAD and the AFDB for their support, and like Oliver Twist, we have only six and we have 36 federating units.
“We want to replicate their success story in each of the 36 States of the Nigerian Federation. If Nigeria works, Africa works,” he added.
In attendance was the President of IFAD, Dr. Alvaro Lario; H.E. Muhammad Suleiman Al Jasser, President of Islamic Development Bank (IsDB); Vice President of AfDB, Mrs. Hassatau N’Sele; Vice President of OLAM International, Mr. Reji George; and Vice President, Commodity Alliance Forum (Representative of farmers), Mrs Ejim Lovelyn.
Declaring the Summit open, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, commended the participating countries for their commitment to addressing the problems of hunger and malnutrition.
“This is a gathering about the food system. It is essentially to fulfil those basic human rights – the right to food. It is outrageous that people continue to suffer in the world of plenty,” said Guterres.
Shettima also had a bilateral meeting with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. Both leaders discussed issues about the development of the two countries.
