AT UN Summit Stocktake, Nigeria, Others Demand Collective Motion In opposition to Food Insafety – The Statehouse, Abuja

 

*Nigeria now deploying trendy know-how to reinforce agricultural manufacturing – VP Shettima*

Nigeria and different African nations, in addition to the United Nations (UN), have known as for collective motion, shared function and willpower to fight meals insecurity each on the continent and globally.

According to them, Africa wants predictable concession finance to put money into agriculture, rural transformation, infrastructure and literacy, whereas local weather finance should be aligned with the meals system.

This is simply because the Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, mentioned Nigeria is scaling its agricultural drive with trendy know-how reminiscent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), geospatial analytics and satellite-driven local weather intelligence to finish meals insecurity within the nation.

Senator Shettima, who joined different African leaders on Monday on the opening session of the United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, mentioned the goal is to make sure a future that’s anchored in abundance, fairness, and human dignity.

He mentioned that whereas meals insecurity has now turn into a shared affliction that’s not taking cowl in distant lands, African nations should study to swim in opposition to the tide, amid local weather change and different international challenges.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution has not solely disrupted the outdated order however gifted us devices that had been as soon as confined to the creativeness. Artificial intelligence, geospatial analytics, and satellite-driven local weather intelligence at the moment are a part of our agricultural vocabulary.

“We are deploying these tools to monitor production, enhance transparency, connect producers to markets, and reduce waste across the value chain,” VP Shettima declared.

Instead of diplomatic pleasantries, the Nigerian Vice President urged individuals on the summit to go away the occasion with a conviction that Africa will succeed, whilst he urged African nations to rise with a shared function and willpower to make the continent meals safe.

“A broken food system in any part of the world diminishes the dignity of humanity as a whole. Let us rise with a shared purpose. Let us build a world where no child sleeps on an empty stomach, where no farmer is forgotten, and where food is not a luxury but a human right,” he said.

Senator Shettima famous that Nigeria has additionally pursued institutional reforms robustly, together with deepening partnerships throughout sectors and prioritising agro-industrialisation as a key driver of inclusive progress.

This, he defined, adopted the disclosing of the nation’s National Food Systems Transformation Pathway, resulting in the rollout of focused investments in infrastructure and human capability.

Stating that the declaration of a nationwide emergency on meals safety in Nigeria didn’t simply quantity to elevating the alarm, the VP mentioned, “It’s the explanation we’re advancing the Presidential Initiative on Food Security, a mission designed to upscale the cultivation of significant staples- maize, rice, cassava, and wheat.

“We are backing this with climate-smart innovations, financial inclusion for smallholder farmers, and an expansion of extension services, particularly for women and youth,” he maintained.

The Nigerian Vice President outlined different investments in agriculture to incorporate the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, simply as he identified that the zones being developed in partnership with the African Development Bank and IFAD will not be simply locations of manufacturing but additionally engines of transformation.

“They are creating jobs, attracting private capital, and linking rural producers to national and global markets. Our faith in the capacity of our people remains unshaken. But production is not enough. We believe that a sustainable food system must also be a healthy one,” he added.

Senator Shettima prolonged what he described because the warmest gratitude of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the individuals of Nigeria to the host international locations, Ethiopia and Italy, assuring that, aside from simply listening and studying, Nigeria is absolutely prepared to guide in areas the place management is required.

“Nigeria is ready to listen. Nigeria is ready to learn. Nigeria is ready to lead wherever leadership is required. We are here to champion food systems that are resilient in the face of climate shocks, responsive to nutritional needs, and rooted in local realities. We are here because we believe that the arc of history does not only bend towards justice. It bends towards food justice,” he additional said.

On his half, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Dr Abiy Ahmed, described the summit as a second to take inventory and to resume a shared dedication to constructing meals programs which are resilient and inclusive.

Ahmed famous that Africa wants predictable concession finance to put money into agriculture, rural transformation, infrastructure and literacy, including that local weather finance should be aligned with the meals system “because hunger and environmental degradation are deeply linked.”

According to him, for the reason that first meals system summit in 2021, Ethiopia has launched a complete roadmap for meals system transformation.

“Globally, meals programs are dealing with immense stress from planning inventory, shocks, conflicts, inequalities and financial destruction. At the identical time, growth help has declined in multilateral cooperation. These challenges threatened manufacturing, provide and dignity within the subregion nations.

“Yet, in this context, the human spirit and our shared resolve to act remain strong. In Ethiopia, we have made a deliberate choice to act boldly, to think holistically and to place human dignity at the centre of our food system transformation. We are investing in local production, reducing dependency on imports and building a resilient system that serves our people and our future,” the Prime Minister mentioned.

On his half, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, who spoke by way of a recorded videocast, famous that meals programs are about greater than meals, saying they embody local weather, justice and the best to a greater future.

“Since the final meals summit, we now have seen progress. We are dedicated to meals programs which are inclusive, sustainable, equitable, resilient and constructed on human rights, however progress isn’t honest sufficient. Global starvation is rising, and threats, shocks are pushing the costs of meals.

“The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the African continent is not just a crisis of scarcity, it is a crisis of justice, equity and climate. Climate change is destroying harvests, supply chains and humanitarian response, ” he mentioned

Others who spoke are the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, and the Kenyan President, William Ruto, amongst different heads of state and representatives from multilateral organisations.

*Stanley Nkwocha*
*Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications*
*(Office of The Vice President)*
*twenty eighth July, 2025*