Nigeria has unveiled a far-reaching macroeconomic strategy that positions food security as a central pillar of national stability, inflation control and regional integration, with Vice President Kashim Shettima declaring that the country can no longer treat the issue as agriculture alone.
Speaking at a high-level panel titled “When Food Becomes Security” at the Congress Centre during the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Shettima said the Federal Government has adopted a multidimensional approach to agriculture aimed at insulating Nigeria from global economic shocks and restoring productivity in key food-producing regions.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima stressed that food security now sits at the intersection of economics, security and governance.
“In Nigeria, we don’t look at food security purely as an agricultural issue. It is a macroeconomic, security and governance issue. Our focus is to use food security as a pillar for national security, regional cohesion and stability,” he said.
The Vice President explained that Nigeria’s food security strategy is built on three pillars: boosting food production, ensuring environmental sustainability, and deepening regional integration within West Africa.
He noted that global supply-chain disruptions and climate pressures have forced Nigeria to rebuild resilient food systems suited to its diverse ecological zones.
“Nigeria is a very large country, and there is an incestuous relationship between economy and ecology. In the Sahelian North, we are dealing with desertification, deforestation and drought. In the riverine South and parts of the North Central, flooding is our major challenge,” Shettima said.
To address these challenges, the government is promoting drought-resistant, flood-tolerant and early-maturing crop varieties, including rice, sorghum and millet, while redesigning food systems in flood-prone southern regions to withstand climate shocks.
Security, he added, remains a major constraint, as many of Nigeria’s food-producing zones are affected by conflict.
“Most of the food baskets of our nation are security-challenged. That is why we are creating food security corridors and strengthening community-based security engagements so farmers can return safely to their land,” he said.
Shettima revealed that the Federal Government has launched the Back to the Farm Initiative, targeted at resettling displaced farmers and providing them with inputs, insurance and access to capital to restart production.
On Nigeria’s macroeconomic vulnerabilities, the Vice President identified heavy reliance on imports and foreign exchange volatility as key drivers of food inflation.
“We largely import wheat, sugar and dairy products, and this has a direct impact on inflation. Our strategy is to accelerate local production and promote substitutes such as sorghum, millet and cassava flour to correct these structural imbalances,” he said.
Positioning agriculture as a frontline response to economic and security threats, Shettima said the country’s approach aligns food security with inflation control, national stability and regional cooperation.
He further stated that Nigeria, often described as “the African giant,” has “woken up from its slumber” under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressing confidence that within 12 months, smallholder farmers and fishers would become investable at scale.
On continental trade, Shettima said intra-African commerce has become increasingly inevitable, urging African leaders to deepen collaboration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He expressed optimism that reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda would soon move climate adaptation beyond pilot stages and drive a significant surge in intra-African trade well above the current 10.7 per cent level.