Nigeria is stepping up efforts to transform agriculture into a major engine of economic growth, focusing on infrastructure, mechanisation, improved seeds, and climate-smart farming. The goal is to unlock the country's vast agrifood potential and achieve food sovereignty. Vice President Kashim Shettima stated that excessive dependence on imported food could undermine a nation's independence. He emphasised the need to eliminate supply-chain and logistics bottlenecks, reduce investment risks, and create infrastructure to support large-scale commercial farming and agro-processing.
Shettima led a Nigerian delegation on a tour of farms and agricultural facilities in Ethiopia's Oromia Regional State as part of the Ethiopia-Nigeria Leadership Exchange. He described Ethiopia's agricultural transformation experience, particularly the Oromia model, as a template for Africa's drive towards food self-sufficiency. Nigeria plans to draw extensively from this experience, adopting improved seeds, mechanisation, climate-smart agriculture, and modern production techniques. This approach aims to rapidly transform Nigeria's food systems.
Ethiopia's progress in wheat production was cited as a major lesson for Nigeria. The country moved from spending about $1 billion yearly on wheat imports to achieving self-sufficiency and generating surpluses for export to neighbouring countries. Shettima also noted Ethiopia's growing self-sufficiency in rice production as evidence that sustained investment in modern agriculture could rapidly transform food systems.
Shettima disclosed that Nigeria would launch a massive tree-planting campaign from the next rainy season, targeting 20 billion trees. The initiative aims to strengthen environmental restoration while generating economic and livelihood opportunities. The campaign will draw lessons from Ethiopia's Green Legacy Initiative, which has mobilised citizens around large-scale tree planting and environmental restoration.
The President of the Oromia Regional State, Shimelis Abdisa, outlined the region's agricultural transformation and its growing contribution to Ethiopia's economy. Abdisa stated that more than 200 crop varieties were cultivated across Ethiopia, and the country had expanded agricultural exports, including bananas, avocados, and coffee. Wheat production alone generates more than $3.1 billion yearly for Ethiopia.
Shettima expressed optimism that the agricultural transformation underway in Ethiopia could mark the beginning of a broader economic renaissance across Africa. He noted that stronger agricultural cooperation between Nigeria and Ethiopia could have implications far beyond the two countries, given their combined population of more than 400 million people.
Nigeria and Ethiopia plan to deepen cooperation, particularly in areas where the two countries can leverage their respective agricultural strengths to improve food security, create jobs, and strengthen economic resilience across Africa. The goal is to achieve food sovereignty and ensure that both countries can feed their populations and potentially export surplus produce.
Key points
- Nigeria targets 20 billion trees in a new environmental restoration campaign.
- The country adopts Ethiopia's farm transformation model to drive food self-sufficiency.
- Nigeria and Ethiopia seek to strengthen agricultural cooperation to improve food security and economic resilience.
