Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared that Nigeria now approaches food security as a multidimensional issue encompassing macroeconomics, national security, and governance, rather than viewing it solely through an agricultural lens.
Speaking at a high-level panel titled “When Food Becomes Security” during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Shettima said the Federal Government has initiated a comprehensive agricultural drive aimed at shielding the country from global shocks while revitalising productivity in key food-producing regions.
“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, ” Shettima said.
The vice president explained that Nigeria’s food security framework rests on three pillars: boosting production, ensuring environmental sustainability, and strengthening regional integration within West Africa.
He noted that global supply chain disruptions and climate pressures have necessitated resilient food systems tailored to the country’s diverse ecological zones.
“Nigeria is a very large country, and there is an intricate relationship between economy and ecology.
“In the Sahelian North, we face desertification, deforestation and drought, while flooding remains a major challenge in the riverine South and parts of the North Central, ” he said.
To combat 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 areas to withstand climate shocks.
Shettima also highlighted the intersection of security and agriculture, noting that many conflict-prone areas are also vital food baskets.
“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.
He disclosed the launch of the Back to the Farm Initiative, designed to resettle displaced farmers and provide agricultural inputs, insurance, and access to capital to restart production.
On macroeconomic concerns, the Vice President identified heavy import dependence and foreign exchange volatility as major contributors to food inflation.
“We import wheat, sugar and dairy products, and this directly impacts 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.
Shettima urged African nations to expand cooperation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), describing intra-African trade as a strategic necessity amid global economic realignments.
He expressed confidence that reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda would soon lead to scalable investments for smallholder farmers and fishers, enhanced climate adaptation, and increased intra-African trade.
