President Muhammadu Buhari says he is committed to boosting investment to improve food security in Nigeria.
The president said at the ‘Food Systems Summit’ during one of the high-level meetings of the 76th session of the United Nations general assembly in New York.
According to a statement on Thursday by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina, Buhari said Nigeria’s food system will contribute to the rebuilding of the economy, facilitate the creation of jobs and ensure growth in other sectors.
He added that the development agenda on the country’s food system was the “outcome of wide stakeholder engagement” geared towards a better understanding of the food systems.
Buhari said his administration was committed to the dissemination of nutrition education, in order to reduce many shocks and stress in the food systems.
He said he is focused on the “development agenda that prioritises healthy diets and affordable nutrition, inclusive, efficient, resilient and sustainable, which will contribute to rebuilding our economy, creating jobs and spurring growth across sectors while sustaining our ecosystems”.
“Following the recommendations from the dialogues and our plan to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within a decade, Nigeria is committed to: investing in food security and nutrition knowledge dissemination, skills’ development, and information management systems to enhance agricultural productivity; building sustainable, responsive, and inclusive food systems; enhancing the productivity of smallholder farmers and empowering women and youths for greater access to food production; while strengthening climate mitigation strategies and conflict early warning systems that will reduce the many stresses and shocks to our food systems,” he said.
Buhari, who commended the UN secretary-general for convening the summit, said it is part of efforts to ensure that the world stays on track to meet the sustainable development goals, despite the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To transform our food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda, we hope to learn from, and collaborate with Member States that have grappled or are grappling with food systems concerns similar to ours. We especially support the emerging coalitions of actions and sustainable food systems,” he added.
