The federal government, on Tuesday, unveiled a 10-year Strategic Action Plan (2026–2035) to transform its agricultural sector, with Vice President Kashim Shettima declaring that the youth-led innovation will be central to the country’s food systems transition.
The plan is part of Nigeria’s national strategy to implement the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration (2026–2036), adopted by African Heads of State to strengthen food and nutrition security across the continent.
Speaking at a high-level dialogue between African youth agri-food entrepreneurs and African leaders during the United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, Shettima emphasised the importance of investing in young people to drive innovation and resilience across food systems.
He stated, “A nation that is prepared for the future is not known by the promises it makes but by the place it gives to its youth in shaping those promises.
“To see African youths leading the charge in this essential sector speaks more eloquently than any speech.”
He explained that Nigeria had already inaugurated an Agricultural Sector Working Group and a Technical Committee to coordinate national implementation of the Kampala Declaration and develop the 10-Year Strategic Action Plan.
According to him, the plan will align national and subnational priorities, promote public-private partnerships, and embed strong youth engagement at every level.
The vice president also stated that the federal government had recapitalised the Bank of Agriculture with N1.5 trillion ($1 billion) to support the Youth Agricultural Revolution in Nigeria, providing loans of up to N1 million to young farmers and agri-groups across the country.
“This is not charity. It is strategic inclusion. It is resilience engineered into policy,” Shettima said.
He listed several ongoing initiatives, including Nigeria’s collaboration with the Netherlands, CGIAR, and IITA under the Youth in Agribusiness Initiative, which is targeting 10,000 youth, with 40–50 per cent of them women, across innovative hubs in horticulture, poultry, aquaculture, and cassava processing.
Shettima also cited investments in mechanisation, greenhouse expansion, and irrigation systems, along with the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Project with Brazil, which is enhancing year-round agricultural productivity and value chain efficiency.
He said, “We launched the first 2,000 tractors in a $70-million investment, targeting over 550,000 hectares of land and reaching more than 550,000 farming households. In partnership with John Deere, we are deploying 10,000 tractors over five years.”
Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s call for increased investment in value addition and agro-processing to end the export of raw commodities and build more resilient local economies.
The forthcoming 10-year Action Plan, he added, will prioritise training and mentorship in agro-technology and agribusiness, with a strong monitoring and evaluation framework.
“This is not a sprint. It is a generational relay that requires collective action, strategic partnerships, and an unwavering commitment to shared responsibility,” he said.
Shettima also addressed the Plenary Session on Transforming Food Systems in Complex Settings, where he disclosed that Nigeria had already committed $538.05 million to the first phase of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme, a flagship initiative aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, improving rural livelihoods, and accelerating agro-industrialisation.
He stated, “The SAPZ programme in Nigeria is being implemented in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and other key development partners.
“The initiative is projected to attract $1 billion in total investments by 2027, reduce post-harvest losses by 80 percent, and has already generated over 785,000 jobs across targeted regions.”
The vice president added that African youths held the key to the continent’s agri-food future and no stone should be left unturned in mobilising this greatest asset.
He reiterated the federal government’s commitment to tackling food insecurity, stating that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has declared a State of Emergency on Food Security, reactivated over 500,000 hectares of arable land, deployed strategic food reserves, and expanded access to seeds and extension services.
Shettima emphasised the importance of security sector reforms to ensure farmers could access their lands safely and continue food production in rural communities.
In addition, he called for international collaboration to recharge the Lake Chad Basin, expand sustainable irrigation systems, and establish a national farm database.
He also advocated for anticipatory action to climate shocks, emergency school feeding programmes in conflict-affected areas, and resilience-building initiatives to secure long-term stability.
“Food security is the trust anchor of peace,” the vice president stated.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, decried worsening global food insecurity, saying, “Over 37 million children under five who faced acute malnutrition this year are almost the entire population of Canada.”
Mohammed said, “Short-term interventions disconnected from long-term development planning are not the solutions we are seeking. We must choose transformation over dependency.”
The UN Deputy Secretary-General commended leaders, including Tinubu, who were embedding resilience in national strategies, combining global, digital and traditional knowledge to create inclusive and sustainable food systems.
“We need coordination as a people and not just bureaucracies. Bureaucracies are important; we need strong public institutions, but our efforts must translate into impact in people’s lives,” Mohammed added.
Deji Elumoye
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