The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, has officially inaugurated the Agricultural Sector Working Group (ASWG) as part of a strategic effort to enhance food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agricultural development across the African continent.
Speaking at the ASWG inaugural and inception meeting held recently at the Rock View Hotel in Abuja, Kyari emphasised that achieving lasting progress in the agricultural sector requires continuous engagement with critical stakeholders. He underscored the importance of collaboration, innovation, and policy alignment to address existing challenges and develop practical solutions that will reshape the agricultural landscape.
In his remarks, the minister noted, “Through structured dialogue and shared expertise, we can ensure that our policies, programmes and projects are tailored to address both current realities and emerging challenges in agriculture and food security. Given Nigeria’s pivotal role in the global agricultural ecosystem, we must establish a sustainable and structured platform that monitors our performance and actively explores strategic alternatives to bridge existing gaps.”
He further explained that the ASWG would be a vital platform for tracking progress, strengthening accountability and mobilising collective action toward achieving national and continental agricultural development goals. According to the minister, the group will be led by him as chairperson, with support from the Minister of State, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, CON, along with other ministers and government officials. The permanent secretary of the Ministry will serve as the Secretary of the group.
Kyari outlined the primary responsibilities of the ASWG, which include providing strategic advisory services and policy direction to support the sustainable growth and development of the agricultural sector in Nigeria. The group will also facilitate the implementation of resolutions adopted by the African Union Heads of State on agrifood system transformation, in line with the goals of the 2025 Kampala Declaration.
He urged members of the working group, who are expected to meet quarterly, to maintain a strong commitment to inclusiveness, transparency, prioritisation and partnership. He emphasised that the group’s work must reflect the principles of shared responsibility and collective action to drive meaningful transformation of Nigeria’s agrifood systems.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Minister of Finance and Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun recalled discussions from the January 2025 summit in Kampala on the Malabo Agenda. He noted that concerns were raised about the continent’s slow progress in meeting the goals of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), which aims to reduce poverty and enhance food security by the year 2025.
“This concern, along with the growing threats facing Africa’s agrifood systems, led to the development of the Post-Malabo Agenda, which was discussed in Malabo earlier this year,” Edun said. “One of the key objectives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is aligned with this commitment – to prioritise food production, ensure food security, and make food available and affordable to Nigerians.”
He stressed the importance of institutional adaptation and stated that the federal government is focused on developing the entire agricultural value chain in Nigeria to ensure it becomes more productive and resilient.
In his remarks, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi reaffirmed the significance of the ASWG in promoting coordination, alignment, and synergy among government agencies, development partners, and other stakeholders. He highlighted the range of challenges facing the sector – from food security issues to climate change adaptation and the need for broad agricultural transformation, which require a unified and coherent approach. According to him, the ASWG is designed to be that strategic mechanism for collaboration.
One of the key highlights of the event was a presentation by Christopher Mensah, a representative of the ECOWAS Commission, who provided an overview of the CAADP/Maputo and Malabo declarations. His presentation covered progress made under the CAADP framework, the achievements so far with the Malabo Declaration and the roadmap for ECOWAS countries moving forward.
A statement issued by the ministry’s director of information, Anthonia Eremah, confirmed the presence of various high-level stakeholders at the event. In attendance were the Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, representatives from the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare, Marine and Blue Economy, as well as leaders from the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, IFAD, AGRA, NACCIMA, FAO, ActionAid, several directors from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, among others.
