Stakeholders have unanimously emphasized the urgent necessity for strong state-level policies, youth empowerment, and innovation-centred collaboration to establish a truly resilient and high-impact food system across Nigeria. This consensus emerged from the Sahel Food System Changemakers Conference held in Abuja, which focused on designing long-lasting legacy within the nation’s agricultural sector. A primary finding highlighted by Agricultural Policy Expert Winnie Lai Solarin was the importance of decentralizing agricultural policymaking. Since agriculture operates on the concurrent list, national policies often struggle to reach the grassroots level effectively. Solarin argued for empowering states to develop and implement interventions specifically tailored to their unique environments and local needs.
Moving beyond federal interventions, the call for increased collaboration with development projects was stressed as vital. Government projects are frequently limited in scope, while external development initiatives possess the capacity to reach a significantly larger number of people. It was urged that government budgets must allocate portions of funding to these initiatives, accompanied by rigorous monitoring to ensure effective use of funds and measurable impact on food production and security. This strategic shift from centralized control to decentralized execution is considered fundamental for optimizing resource deployment and achieving widespread sectoral growth.
Furthermore, speakers detailed the government’s commitment to inclusive growth, specifically prioritizing youth, women, and persons with disabilities across all federal agricultural policies. Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness, highlighted the transformative role of digitalization. Government is actively establishing the policy framework, through initiatives like the National Broadband Plan, to extend internet access and energy to farming clusters. This effort is designed to allow farmers to access agricultural data and best practices remotely, thereby enhancing productivity and optimizing yield. Additionally, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers significant export opportunities. The AfCFTA Implementation Office has identified ten key agricultural products, including oil palm and spices, where Nigeria has a competitive advantage, and is using e-platforms to match local agripreneurs with buyers across the continent.
To sustain this momentum, the importance of innovation across the agricultural value chain cannot be overstated. Osasuyi Dirisu, Executive Director of the Policy Innovation Centre, encouraged young innovators to leverage platforms designed to nurture scalable ideas. Her organization recently hosted a hackathon, providing cash prizes and access to an innovation lab, demonstrating a clear focus on empowering the next generation of solution providers. The conference concluded with a clear message: while government creates the structure and access points, long-term resilience depends on the collective initiative and collaborative effort among all citizens and state governments.
