Food Security: Minister tells CGIAR to do more for Africa

The Agric Minister, State, Nigeria, Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi has asked the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to apply the same measure of technologies transfer applied in Asia and Latin America to African food security, saying this is what would quickly advance commercial food system development among the nationals in the continent.

The Minister yesterday at the African Science Week speaking on the heels of renewed commitment of CGIAR to supporting the African continent research institutions pointed that the promise must be upheld and executed in the same manners with Latin America and Asia continents.

Abdullahi argued that the level of collaboration between CGIAR and many African countries must be upgraded to reflect what is obtained in India and Brazil in order to achieve the same result.

According to him " I'm happy that CGIAR is coming home. It should not be working for itself but for the system. The catalytic role it intends to play is exactly what African national agricultural research systems need to transform her food security system scientifically to the benefits of farmers practically.

CGIAR according to him has played a significant role in advancing agricultural development in countries across Asia and Latin America, particularly India and Brazil through close collaboration with national research institutions pointing that the same collaborations must be applied in Africa to enhance practical scientific knowledge transfer to ensure sustainable food security.

"I have seen what happened in countries such as India and Brazil, where CGIAR's partnership with national systems has produced remarkable results. Unfortunately, the relationship between CGIAR and many African countries has not mirrored those successes.

The minister urged CGIAR to deepen its engagement with African National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), regional organizations, governments, universities, and the private sector by focusing on strengthening local institutions rather than operating independently.