By Abdullahi Lukman
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has called for a more adaptive agricultural strategy to combat rising food insecurity and economic vulnerability.
Edun made the call during the inaugural meeting of the Agricultural Sector Working Group (ASWG) on Tuesday in Abuja, as shared by the Federal Ministry of Finance on its official X account.
The minister emphasized that Nigeria must realign its agricultural priorities with Africa’s post-Malabo agenda for agricultural transformation.
This alignment focuses on three critical pillars: enhancing productivity, improving access to affordable finance, and unlocking opportunities for value-added exports.
Edun reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to sustainable food security, highlighting agriculture as a central element of President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda.
A part of Edun’s message was the need for a nimble agricultural framework capable of responding to global and domestic shocks, including climate change and inflationary pressures, while mitigating disruptions to the food supply chain.
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The ASWG, which includes representatives from key ministries such as Finance, Agriculture, and Industry, is tasked with coordinating policies, aligning investments, and tracking progress towards national and continental food security goals.
Edun assured stakeholders of the ministry of finance’s is readiness for supporting transformative agricultural initiatives, including mechanization, irrigation, agro-processing, and digital agriculture solutions.
The ASWG’s formation follows Nigeria’s urgent need to address challenges facing the agriculture sector, which employs over 70% of the rural population but struggles due to poor infrastructure, limited financing, and low productivity.
Amid inflationary pressures driving food prices to record levels, the minister’s call for a more agile strategy is seen as critical.
The government has introduced measures to subsidize local wheat production, aiming to reduce reliance on imported wheat and boost food security.
This initiative forms part of the broader National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), designed to support 280,000 smallholder farmers and a select group of medium-scale farmers.
So far, 409 redemption centers have been established across the country, with 281 already operational, reaching 68,389 farmers, or 24.42 percent of the target.
