The implementation of the United Nations Food Systems Transformation Pathways for Nigeria, which is being coordinated by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, has gained traction with the convening of a series of stakeholder meetings on the programme.
Leading the series of meetings is the National Convenor of the United Nations Food System for Nigeria and Director of Social Development in the Ministry, Dr Sanjo Oladepo Faniran, with the supervision of the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba.
As part of preparatory discussions, the Country Director and Representative (West and Central Africa Division) of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Dede Ekoue paid a courtesy visit to the Minister’s office in Abuja on Wednesday to brief him on the programme’s implementation with discussions centering on innovative financing for food and agriculture, which Nigeria has already keyed into.
Ekoue took the opportunity of the courtesy visit to apprise the Minister of IFAD’s new country programme (2024-2029), saying “we have been meeting and this meeting is important for us in designing our new strategies for operation in Nigeria from 2024 to 2029. It also gives us the opportunity for sensitization of the people to enable them understand agriculture and food systems.”
THE CONCLAVE reports that the planning meeting started on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, with the National Convenor, Dr Faniran taking advantage of it to sensitise all stakeholders on zonal basis to enable them focus on areas where they have comparative advantage(s) over others.
Ekoue also discussed the upcoming stock-taking meeting in Rome scheduled to hold from July 24-26, in which the Nigerian government had already indicated interest to have a high-level session on “Innovative Financing for Food Systems Transformation: The Case of Nigeria”
Weighing in on Nigeria’s planned participation, Dr Faniran stated that “the session will highlight key transformative financing strategies integrated in Nigeria’s flagship programmes such as the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) included in Nigeria’s agriculture and food delivery compact.”
According to him: “this had already been presented by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Dakar, Senegal meeting early this year.”
THE CONCLAVE further reports that the World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and IFAD are lead agencies that would work with Nigeria on the implementation of the food system with the National Convenor, Dr Faniran, under the supervision of the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning.
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
