From Okwe Obi, Abuja
For decades, the federal government has strongly proclaimed its commitment to enhancing food production and making the value chain more affordable.
The dedication is reflected in its efforts to cultivate both foreign and local partnerships, exemplified by the frequent signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
According to industry analysts, in about 22 years, Nigeria has signed more than 20 MoUs aimed at enhancing food production, yet the country continues to grapple with food insecurity and a grossly underperforming agricultural system.
In 2003, at the Maputo Summit in Mozambique, Nigeria, together with other African Union member states, pledged to allocate 10 per cent of their annual budgets to agriculture, with the goal of lifting the continent out of poverty and building long-term economic growth.
The historic commitment was designed to prioritise agriculture as a key driver of development, recognising its potential to create jobs, ensure food security and boost economic stability across Africa.
Yet, despite the promise, Nigeria has consistently fallen short of meeting this target, with successive budgets allocating far less than the agreed 10 per cent, thereby hindering the growth and transformation of the nation’s agricultural sector.
Players in the agric space argue that successive governments’ loud pledge to make agriculture the fulcrum on which economic prosperity revolves has been consistently sauced in politics and various initiatives, as laudable as they seemed, have failed to lift the sector out of stagnation.
Many blame corruption and the absence of monitoring and evaluation systems for the failure of various agric programmes to achieve their set objectives.
For context, Nigeria and the Government of Norway struck a $4.5 million deal, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), to address hunger in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, and Taraba States.
FAO Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Fred Kafeero, speaking during the signing of an MoU between the UN body and the Norwegian government in Abuja, noted that Norway’s support had amounted to $24 million since the beginning of the crisis.
Kafeero added that the assistance had reached over 119,877 conflict-affected people and continued to grow.
For the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), FAO set a target to support two million people as a key provider of livelihood support in the food security sector.
Yet, this agreement has not alleviated the persistent hunger.
In January 2021, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) hired a German firm, ABG Paulas International, as its consultant in the diaspora to propose solutions to food security challenges in the country.
The partnership followed the signing of an MoU between the two parties. ARCN Executive Secretary, Prof. Garba Sharabutu, and Director of Administration, Dr. Edeki Enesi, signed on behalf of the Council, while ABG Paulas’ Managing Director, Ambrose Okojie, and Executive Director, Chief Charles Ozoemena, signed for the German-based firm.
Prof. Sharabutu explained that engaging ABG Paulas aligned with the Council’s mandate to seek international collaborators for funding and partnerships that could advance agricultural research and ensure food security.
“We are seeking the assistance of international consultants because, as a corporate entity, we cannot independently source funding and international relationships,” he said.
However, there has been no disclosure of how much ABG Paulas has generated for Nigeria.
In June 2021, the Federal Government disclosed a partnership with the Islamic Republic of Iran to assemble automobiles, import tractors and procure agricultural equipment to ease farming and transportation.
The then Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, now Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, announced the collaboration during a visit by Iran’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammad Alibak, in Abuja.
Akume described the partnership as timely, given the government’s plans to procure vehicles for Nigerians through cooperative societies under the Ministry of Agriculture. Yet, this partnership failed to materialise.
In October 2022, the former President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Farouk Rabiu Mudi, signed an MoU with Tingo Mobile Limited, a South Korean telecommunications group, to empower 20 million farmers with smartphones, fertilisers and tricycles to boost food production.
The MoU stipulated the importation of one million tricycles from South Korea, with two assembly plants to be located in each geopolitical zone.
Tingo’s President, Chris Cleverly, emphasized the need for collective efforts to combat food insecurity amidst climate change.
“Food security is national security. National security is international security. When we work together, we magnify our efforts,” Cleverly said.
Despite these promises, the agreement has not materialized as of the time of writing.
Similarly, in 2018, the government, under the former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, entered into a $10 million agreement with the United States for cashew production.
Nanono assured Nigerians of the government’s commitment to developing cashew as a key export commodity, noting its contribution to Nigeria’s GDP. However, by 2025, Nigeria ranked 13th globally and 8th in Africa for cashew production, according to the World Bank.
A recent MoU signed by the Federal Government under the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, and John Deere for the supply of 10,000 tractors worth $70 million remains unfulfilled three years later.
While experts have dismissed these MoUs as mere optics, some argue that the government has made progress in boosting food production.
Kenechukwu Aloefuna, Managing Director of Agricultural Commodity Value Chains Expansion Limited, questioned the intentions of the international community and Nigeria’s governance priorities.
“Does the international community want us to succeed? And do we, as a country, have clarity on our goals?” Aloefuna asked.
He criticized the contradictions in government policies, particularly the reliance on foreign markets for agricultural equipment despite domestic capacity for production.
“Even the cattle we are fighting over come mostly from Chad, Niger, and other countries. This shows we’re far from being self-sufficient,” he added.
Similarly, Joyce Brown, Programme Director of Health and Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), urged the government to prioritize local solutions over MoUs.
“Nigeria must move beyond MoUs to practical actions that address food insecurity. Reviving extension services, providing infrastructure, and addressing insecurity in food-producing states are essential,” Brown said.
Central to food sovereignty, she noted, is agroecology, a sustainable, people-centered approach to agriculture that builds resilience and empowers local farmers.
When contacted on January 19 for comments, the Director of Information, Joel Oruche, did not respond to phone calls.