African food: Nigeria asks members to be pragmatic, says it commits $538m to agro processing.

 

Nigeria's Agric Minister, Sen. Abubarka Kyari has admonished African countries to refrain from being passive in food productivity,  saying his country had injected $538.05 million into making agro-processing centers very active.

Sen. Abubarka Kyari, in his opening remarks at the Monday Kampala summit held in Abuja by African leaders, charged the continent to advance its food productivity method with more pragmatic approaches.

Kyari, speaking to the African country members, said that " We must move beyond business as usual approaches and embrace bold reforms that will make our food systems more productive, resilient, inclusive and sustainable"

He explained that the investment in Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones ( SAPZs) in Nigeria would enhance food productivity and boost economic activities in the rural areas, with the expectation of one billion dollars in 2027.

According to him, " The SAPZ initiative is expected to serve as a catalyst for industrialising rural economies, enhancing value chains, boosting exports, and creating jobs. By 2027, the government anticipates attracting up to $Billion in private sector investment through the zones, which will operate as fully serviced hubs for agro processing and market access."

Speaking on the country's food wastages estimated at N3.5 trillion annually, the Minister said that the country has embarked on a post-harvest system transformation program, which would address improving storage, logistics, and cold chains infrastructure.