The Federal Government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors across West Africa to leverage innovative financing strategies to strengthen agroecology practices.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, made the call during the Regional Forum on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture held in Abuja on Monday.
Speaking through the Director of Planning and Policy Coordination at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), Ibrahim Tanimu, Kyari described the forum as timely and critical for the region, particularly Nigeria.
The forum, themed “Financing the Transformation of Sustainable Food and Nutrition Systems for Food Sovereignty in West Africa through Organic Agriculture and Agroecology: Considering What Policies, Mechanisms and Instruments?”, was organised by ActionAid Nigeria in collaboration with the Forum on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture in West Africa and other partners.
Kyari identified inadequate financing as a major constraint to food system development and achieving food sufficiency in the region. He urged participants to identify bottlenecks in accessing funding, particularly those related to economic and fiscal policies.
“I urge you to think critically about your role in promoting and leveraging financing strategies for agroecology and organic agriculture in West Africa. These should support local consumption as well as regional and global trade, especially under the African Continental Free Trade Area,” he said.
He also emphasised the importance of knowledge sharing on sustainable practices, including soil management, pest and disease control, biodiversity protection, and environmental conservation.
Kyari noted that agroecology and organic agriculture present viable solutions as the region works towards building a food-secure future. He acknowledged the contributions of multilateral agencies and donors in supporting such initiatives but stressed that funding remains insufficient.
According to him, Nigeria’s budgetary allocation to agriculture is still below the 10 per cent target set under the Malabo Declaration, despite a 59 per cent increase in the 2024 budget.
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to fostering collaboration and creating an enabling policy environment to drive sustainable food system transformation.
Participants at the forum included representatives from ministries of agriculture, environment, finance, and economy across ECOWAS member states, as well as officials from the ECOWAS Commission and the European Union delegation.
Other attendees were drawn from the Agroecology Programme in West Africa, the French Development Agency, the FAO West Africa Regional Office, the West African Development Bank (BOAD), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the West Africa Alliance for Agroecology (3AO), and the West African Organic Network WAFRONET.