NNEKA NWOGWUGWU
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday urged African leaders to allocate 10 per cent of their national budgets to the agricultural sector in order to promote food security.
President Buhari made the call in Senegal in his goodwill message at the Feed Africa Summit of heads of states and governments on Wednesday.
According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the president also called on his counterparts to embrace innovative policies that ensure the continent’s citizens eat what they produce as well as export the surplus.
With rising inflation globally and the effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that have driven up food prices, especially for basic staples such as wheat and maize, the Nigerian leader listed measures that African leaders must take to change the status quo.
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‘‘Feeding Africa is an imperative. We must ensure that we feed ourselves today, tomorrow, and well into the future,” Mr Buhari said.
He said the starting point is to raise agricultural productivity, adding that this requires access to quality farm inputs, especially improved seeds, fertilisers and mechanisation.
‘‘As leaders, let us decisively ensure that we meet the 10 per cent allocation of our budgets to agriculture as agreed in the Malabo Declaration of the African Heads of State and Government. We must reduce the rate of rural to urban migration through the development of rural areas,’’ he said.
Mr Buhari’s admonition came despite the failure of his government to improve funding for agricultural sector in line with the Maputo agreement. ‘We must take into consideration climate change and ensure that agricultural systems are climate-smart and climate-resilient.
‘‘We must invest heavily in irrigation to help address the increasing frequency of droughts that are leading to a decline in crop yields.
‘‘I am convinced that the very targeted and bold approach of using the food and agriculture delivery compacts will allow Africa to finally break through and feed itself.
‘‘Feeding Africa is not negotiable. Africa must grow what its citizens eat. As leaders, we must demonstrate political will and re-commit ourselves to producing for the continent’s needs, including surpluses for export,’’ he said.
He applauded the efforts of the African Development Bank to launch Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ).
