FG Launches 10-Year Agrifood Roadmap, Targets $100bn Investment by 2035

News in Brief:

— Nigeria has unveiled a 10-year plan to achieve food sovereignty, reduce poverty, strengthen resilience and mobilise $100 billion in agricultural investment by 2035.

— Stakeholders caution that significantly higher public investment, stronger governance and greater support for women farmers will be essential to achieving its targets.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched a 10-year Agrifood System Strategy and Action Plan to transform the country's food system to achieve food sovereignty, reduce poverty and accelerate economic growth. The plan includes coordinated investments, stronger governance and value chain development.

Unveiled at the Agrifood System Working Group (ASWG) meeting in Abuja, the strategy aligns with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration (2026–2035). It marks a shift from project-based interventions to a comprehensive food systems approach.

Strategy Shifts Focus to Integrated Food Systems

Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, revealed that the roadmap addresses the entire agrifood value chain, including production, processing, markets, nutrition, resilience, investment and governance.

He stated that the Presidency directed the development of a long-term, implementable strategy to deliver measurable improvements in food security and agricultural transformation.

According to Kyari, the strategy was developed through consultations across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. It will be presented to stakeholders before being forwarded to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.

He noted that the council approval would ensure that Ministries, Departments and Agencies align their policies, budgets and programmes with the country's long-term agrifood transformation agenda.

Government Targets Food Sovereignty and Economic Growth

Kyari described agriculture as a strategic sector that supports more than 70 per cent of Nigerians, sustains rural livelihoods, contributes significantly to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and offers opportunities for industrialisation, employment and foreign exchange earnings.

He explained that the CAADP Kampala Declaration expands previous continental commitments by focusing on sustainable production, resilience, inclusive value chains and stronger accountability.

The declaration commits African countries to increasing agrifood production, tripling intra-African trade in agricultural products and inputs, reducing post-harvest losses by 50 per cent, improving access to healthy diets, mobilising $100 billion in investment and narrowing the gender productivity gap by 2035.

Kyari stressed that effective governance, institutional coordination and accountability would determine the success of Nigeria's implementation.

Stakeholders Raise Concerns Over Agricultural Funding

Despite supporting the roadmap, stakeholders warned that inadequate public investment could undermine implementation.

ActionAid Nigeria's Food Systems Specialist, Azubike Nwokoye, said the organisation's assessment of agricultural capital spending across Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory revealed weak investment between 2023 and 2025.

According to him, 16 states recorded very low agricultural capital spending performance in 2025, while only 10 states achieved high performance.

He said many states allocate only about three per cent of their capital budgets to agriculture, while Nigeria's combined agricultural allocation for 2026 stands at 4.58 per cent, significantly below the 10 per cent commitment contained in the Maputo, Malabo and Kampala declarations.

Nwokoye called for increased agricultural financing, noting that full implementation of approved 2026 agricultural budgets could generate about 3.5 million direct jobs nationwide, including approximately 1.4 million jobs at state level and another 2.1 million through federal government spending.

Smallholder Farmers and Women Prioritised

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, said achieving food security depends largely on strengthening Nigeria's more than 42 million agricultural households.

He emphasised that small-scale family farmers remain the backbone of Nigeria's agricultural system and require sustained support to increase production and reduce poverty.

Bagudu also highlighted recent government reforms, including the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the National Agricultural Development Fund, as well as increased investment in agricultural land development, science and technology.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, urged policymakers to prioritise women farmers by addressing barriers to land ownership, finance, agricultural inputs, extension services and mechanisation.

She said reducing the gender productivity gap is a formal commitment under the Kampala Declaration and called for measurable gender targets, improved sex-disaggregated data and greater inclusion of women in government agricultural programmes.

Livestock and Food Sovereignty at the Centre

The Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, called for increased investment in animal health, veterinary infrastructure, livestock genetics, feed development, processing facilities and climate-smart production systems.

He argued that livestock should be recognised as a strategic driver of food security, employment and economic diversification rather than merely a supporting component of agriculture.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, described the Agrifood System Working Group as the country's technical platform for coordinating implementation and monitoring progress.

He said Nigeria's food system continues to face challenges from climate change, insecurity, post-harvest losses, inadequate infrastructure and limited financing, requiring stronger collaboration between government, development partners, researchers, private sector organisations and farmer groups.

According to Ogunbiyi, the ultimate objective of the strategy is food sovereignty.

"Food sovereignty means Nigerians eating what we grow and growing what we eat. It means building a resilient food system that guarantees every citizen physical and economic access to safe, nutritious and affordable food," he stated.

Development Partners Back Nigeria's Roadmap

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) described the strategy as a landmark achievement that positions Nigeria among the leading African countries implementing the CAADP Kampala Declaration.

IFAD said the roadmap was developed through collaboration with major development institutions, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank.

The organisation noted that Nigeria's domestication of the Kampala Declaration through a nationally owned implementation framework provides a model for other African countries seeking to translate continental agricultural commitments into practical national programmes.