•Reiterates Nigeria’s readiness for business
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged foreign investors to take advantage of opportunities in Nigeria, saying the country was ready for business.
He said the combination of Nigeria’s young and energetic population and the agenda of the new administration places the country far ahead of others in the region as destination of choice for international investors.
He stated this, yesterday, in his remarks at the ongoing UN Food Systems Summit, themed: “Scaling up of multi-stakeholder collaboration and investments in the implementation of the food systems pathways in Nigeria.”
A statement issued by the Director Information in the Office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola, quoted Shettima as as saying: “We have the capacity of transforming the demographic bulge into demographic dividends or it will be the demographic disaster that will consume all of us. Nigeria will surpass the United States as the third most populous nation on earth and the population is young. The median age is 19. With determined leadership and the support of the global community, we believe, as eternal optimists do, that there is hope in the horizon.”
The vice president expressed hope that the expected transformation could take place on the back of what he described as “building blocks that already exists in Nigeria.”
“They include government’s recent declaration of a state of emergency on food security, moving food and water to the purview of National Security Council; the country’s renewed commitment to food and nutrition since the Nutrition Conference of 2022; the National Food and Micro-Nutrient Intake Survey and the National State Level Food Systems,” Shettima said.
Speaking on improving collaboration between government and the private sector, the Vice President said: “Focusing on agribusiness and the understanding that investment that will transform food system will come from the private sector with the government providing the enabling environment, will scale up investment in the country.”
He further explained that “Nigerian government, together with domestic and international finance institutions scaled up the value chain development program approach for the special ago processing zones program with an impressive investment of $521million from the IFAD, from the IsDB, and from the AfDB.”
He said the success story of the value chain development programme speaks for itself as the programme has empowered 100, 000 small scale farmers to enter into engagement with some of the food marketing companies in the world, enabling them to lift their families out of the poverty trap.
“The VCDP/SAPZ programme really represents unique and concrete model for mobilizing funds for investment in support of our national food systems transformation programme, the transition to more yielding, healthier, more equitable and more sustainable food system,” he said.
Stating that the next frontier of global development faces Africa, Shettima said Nigeria remains critical to the success or failure of the transition and assured that the new leadership in Nigeria is working hard to position the country on the path of growth.
He said: “We have a President who has a private sector background and a Vice President who is also from the private sector. We have a President who has the knack for selecting the best to drive the process. Be rest assured that the next frontiers for global development is facing Africa and Nigeria will make or mar that transition.”