By Sonia Odigie
The United States (U.S.) government on Thursday March 21, 2024 launched its five-year Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) Country Plan for Nigeria.
The plan is to be executed through the U.S. Feed the Future Initiative for combating global hunger and food security.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, who spoke at the event, said “Food security is a fundamental responsibility of any government as food security can be defined in terms of certain variables which include accessibility to people in different areas, affordability for people who are poor and find it very difficult to buy the food they eat and at the same time, this food must be in the right nutritional content but in a sustainable way, not just one off.”
Kyari added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu understands and underscores the current situation as he believes that “we must lay a solid foundation for Nigeria never to relapse into the kind of situation we find ourselves. Our strategy is to take care of the current situation we find ourselves, stabilize the system and lay a solid foundation.”
According to the Minister: ”The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is working to ensure that we don’t only have food security that is transformed, but a food system that guarantees food for every citizen on a sustainable level.
“We encourage youths to come into the Agricultural sector, through the use of ICT to attract youths, youths will take up the new technology that would help food security and tackle constraints . We are raising our hands to show we are ready for this transformation . As we embark on the journey we are fully in support and total commitment in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The US Embassy Charge d’Affaires, David j. Greene, said “the U.S Embassy and the U.S. Mission in Nigeria has a very robust team of expertise in agriculture, food security and economic matters and they are eager to work with the Nigerian Government in order to make Nigeria a food secured place.”
Greene added that they “are working on key value chain such as rice and maize and horticulture with some Intervention state for Feed the Future plan due to their high poverty and malnutrition rate such as Kaduna, Zamfara, Pleateau, Kano, Nassarawa and Sokoto.
“These programmes are to support States in Nigeria with these food security initiatives as Nigeria must focus on adaptation for food security to take place . Nigeria has potential in agriculture that is why the need for this initiative. If Africa is to succeed then Nigeria must succeed, if Nigeria succeeds, the world succeeds.”