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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government and development partners, yesterday, brainstorm to stamp out hunger by 2025 which is in line with the Malabo declaration and national goals.
The workshop titled: “National Dialogue on the Performance of Nigeria at the Second Biennial Review on the Implementation of Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and Validation of 2019 Agricultural Joint Sector Review Report” took place in Abuja.
The government, through the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ernest Umakhihe, represented by the Director, Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA), Karima Babaginda, explained that, “the meeting was key in identifying data gaps and possible sources for the next Biennial Review process as well as identify areas for preparation of policy brief for articulation of projects and programmes towards enhancing the process of attaining the Malabo commitments.
“The Ministry is at the verge of completing the articulation of another four year policy framework tagged National Agriculture Technology and Innovation Plan (NATIP 2021-2024) to serve as guide for the operation of agricultural projects and programmes in the country.”
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He reiterated the administration’s quest is “to develop the agricultural sector in its drive to diversify the nation’s economy. To achieved the desired result, the sector is charged in addition to its mandate to deliver on 16 Ministerial Priority Deliverables by 2023”.
He further said the Ministerial Priority Deliverables are geared towards “ensure close collaboration with the states to build rural infrastructure, land clearing and development, scale- up production of livestock, fisheries and priority commodities, implement Rural and Livestock Transformation Plan, train and deploy 75,000 agriculture extension workers, implement livelihood improvement and family Enterprises, establish agri- Industrial estates, reposition and restructure Agricultural Research Institutes and Colleges, enhance national food reserve stock and recapitalization of Bank of Agriculture for effective service delivery in the country”.
Umakhihe disclosed that the ministry has taken steps in articulating an instrument tagged National Agricultural Data Management Information System (NADMIS) to facilitate data collection, analysis, harmonization and storage for overall planning, monitoring and evaluation on initiatives, programmes ad projects at global, continental, regional and national level.
In her presentation, ECOWAS Representative, Fatmata Seiwoh submitted that many African countries were yet to be on track with the 7 point commitments under the CAADP framework endorsed by the African Heads of States at the AU Summit in Equatorial Guinea in 2014.
