A critical $500 million agricultural support initiative from the World Bank, designed to boost farming in Nigeria's northwest, faces severe threats from rampant insecurity and conflicting government policies on food imports.
Stakeholders Sound Alarm at Kano Workshop
The grave warnings emerged during a key workshop on Nigeria's Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth (AGROW), held on Tuesday in Kano. The event brought together officials from the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).
The AGROW programme specifically targets the Sudan Savannah zone, aiming to support farmers, create jobs, and attract private investment to achieve the government's Renewed Hope Agenda for food security and industrialization.
However, commissioners and stakeholders from Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, and Kaduna states voiced deep concerns that the entire intervention could be rendered ineffective.
Double Jeopardy: Bandits and Import Waivers
Commissioner for Agriculture in Kebbi State, Alhaji Shehu Muazu, delivered a strong critique. He lamented that local farmers are being sidelined by wealthy "moneybag contractors" who benefit from government schemes. He specifically faulted the federal government's policy of granting tax waivers for food imports, stating it directly undermines local agricultural production.
Echoing the security concerns, the Agriculture Commissioner from Katsina State, Alhaji Aliyu Lawal Zakari, urgently called on the federal government to address the banditry crippling farmer productivity. He warned that persistent attacks in the state pose a direct threat to national food security. Zakari also advocated for better market access for Katsina's farmers and interventions to manage post-harvest losses.
Officials from Gombe, Zamfara, and Kano states joined the call, emphasizing the need for timely provision of agrochemicals and other support to large-scale farmers to boost output.
AGROW Aims for Holistic Value-Chain Solution
Speaking on the programme's objectives, Mr. Eniola Akindele, Manager of Data and Input Assessments, described AGROW as a comprehensive value-chain initiative. "We must not only look at one side of the value-chain, we must look at it holistically," Akindele stated. He explained that the programme follows the chain from production through processing to the final market and consumption.
He said the workshop aimed to review AGROW's progress in the Sudan-Savannah zone, revalidate initiatives, and ensure all actions are specific and result-oriented for farmers. Akindele emphasized that the forum opened a window for stakeholders to brainstorm solutions to the challenges facing agribusiness and tackle food insecurity head-on.
The consensus from the northwest is clear: without decisive action to curb insecurity and align import policies with local production goals, the $500 million World Bank intervention risks failure, jeopardizing Nigeria's fight for food sufficiency.
