By Our Reporter
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has berated the decision by Nigeria’s government to allow massive food importation saying such policy will destroy the nation’s agriculture.
He said Nigeria should be producing more food to stabilize food prices, while creating jobs and reducing foreign exchange spending.
The AfDB boss also said that agriculture is critical for the diversification of economies, and for the transformation of rural areas, where over 70 percent of the population of Africa live.
“It is clear therefore that unless we transform agriculture, Africa cannot eliminate poverty,” he declared.
Adesina made these statements Adesina while addressing African Primates of the Anglican Church at the CAPA Retreat in Abuja, on Friday.
Recall that last week, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari said the Federal Government would suspend duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas through the country’s land and sea borders, for 150 days.
However, Adesina said Nigeria should be producing more food to stabilize food prices, while creating jobs and reducing foreign spending.
“Nigeria’s recently announced policy (link is external) to open its borders for massive food imports, just to tackle short-term food price hikes, is depressing.”
He warned that the policy could undermine all the hard work and private investments that have gone into Nigeria’s agriculture sector.
“Nigeria cannot rely on the importation of food to stabilize prices. Nigeria should be producing more food to stabilize food prices, while creating jobs and reducing foreign exchange spending, that will further help stabilize the Naira,” said the African Development Bank president.
“Nigeria cannot import its way out of food insecurity,” he said, “Nigeria must not be turned into a food import-dependent nation.”
Speaking on the theme ‘Food security and financial sustainability in Africa: The role of the Church’, Adesina said Nigeria “must feed itself with pride” adding the nation shouldn’t depend on others to feed itself.
He noted that Africa accounts for nearly a third of the more than 780 million people worldwide who are hungry, adding that the continent has 65 percent of the uncultivated arable land left in the world, to feed 9.5 billion people by 2050.
“What Africa does with agriculture will determine the future of food in the world. “Esse is money. The size of the food and agriculture market in Africa will reach $1 trillion by 2030,” he noted.
Adesina briefed the Primates on the Bank’s $25 billion program to transform agriculture by providing high performing agricultural technologies for 40 million farmers and making Africa food self-sufficient by 2030.
He shared the bank’s successes in helping member countries tackle the negative effects of climate change, through financial investments and its flagship Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program.
According to him, TAAT has helped Ethiopia to become a net exporter of wheat within five years, and it has significantly increased Sudan’s wheat production, as well as supported countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to continue producing food in the face of a prolonged drought.
For Nigeria, Adesina said, “Together with the Islamic Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, we have provided $520 million to support the establishment of Special Agricultural Processing Zones, which will allow private agribusinesses to establish industries that process and add value to agricultural commodities.”
In addition, the Bank provided $134 million to Nigeria for emergency food production to help drive down food price inflation, by significantly boosting the local production of wheat, and cassava, under the national Agricultural Growth Scheme.
Consequently, Adesina urged the Nigerian government to take advantage of the Bank’s investments and support for African farmers; show greater determination and commitment to achieving food self-sufficiency, and to incentivize private sector agribusinesses.
He pledged continued support from African Development Bank Group and its partners noting that the bank is currently supporting the development of 28 Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) l in 11 countries, with $4.5 billion dollars mobilized so far.
Proposing solutions for agriculture in Africa, Adesina said the world desperately needs “visionary and passionate leaders who are strategic solution providers and transformational change makers.”
According to him, this includes public advocacy for robust government policies to end hunger and malnutrition, complemented by church-led food banks and other social protection programs for the poor and needy; and investment in commercial farms, especially in rural areas.
Others are advocacy on issues of climate change; supporting and encouraging young Africans to engage in agricultural entrepreneurship; and demanding greater financial accountability, public probity, and better financial management from governments.
Speqking at the event, Most Rev. Henry C. Ndukuba, Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), thanks the AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina for his lecture on ‘Food Security and Financial Sustainability in Africa’.
In his opening remarks at the retreat, the host, His Grace the Most Reverend Henry C. Ndukuba, Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), said the gathering was a unique opportunity for African Anglican leaders to deepen bonds of friendship and collaboration, and to share collective wisdom and experiences.
