By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Nigeria has joined 21 other countries in the Convergence Initiative to align food systems transformation with climate action, a move aimed at strengthening food security and climate resilience.
The development was announced at a two-day National Dialogue on Nigeria’s Convergence Initiative held in Abuja on Wednesday.
The Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, said the initiative aligns with the National Development Plan (NDP) 2026–2030, which prioritises food security and climate resilience.
She said Nigeria’s participation would promote evidence-based policies, strengthen collaboration and deliver locally adaptable solutions for sustainable food systems.
“Nigeria is one of the countries selected to implement this initiative. It is built on a deliberate science-policy-society interface to ensure interventions are evidence-informed, socially legitimate, economically viable and locally adaptable,” she said.
Uzoka-Anite added that the initiative would help build a nation where farmers thrive, communities withstand climate shocks and economic growth translates into shared prosperity.
She noted that Nigeria faces the challenge of feeding a population projected to exceed 250 million by 2030 while adapting to the growing impacts of climate change.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Aliyu Abdullahi, said sustainable food systems require climate-smart approaches, stressing that climate action must be integrated into how food is produced, processed and consumed.
He said transforming Nigeria’s agrifood systems would accelerate economic growth and improve food security, noting that the sector involves more than 40 million agricultural households and contributes nearly 40 per cent of the country’s GDP.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs. Deborah Odoh, described climate-resilient food systems as essential to sustainable economic growth.
She said changing weather patterns, prolonged droughts and flooding continue to disrupt food production and supply chains, worsening food inflation.
According to her, integrating climate adaptation into agricultural policies is critical to achieving the Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2026–2030 and Nigeria Agenda 2050.
Also speaking, Deputy Director of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, Lara Blancho Rothe, said Nigeria’s participation reflects its commitment to integrating food systems transformation with climate action.
She noted that since the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, Nigeria has conducted more than 40 national and local dialogues, leading to a Food Systems Transformation Pathway with 78 priority actions.
The Convergence Initiative, supported by the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, seeks to integrate food systems transformation with climate action to help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement targets.
