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By Woke Joshua
The Federal Government, state governments, non-state actors and development partners, including Germany, have renewed efforts to accelerate the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration 2026–2035.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, stated this on Monday at the Annual CAADP Community of Practice (CoP) Meeting held in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Kyari said stronger alignment among the Federal Government, states and development partners was essential to achieving sustainable food security and resilient livelihoods.
He said such alignment must translate into compatible policies, reliable data, complementary investments and clear responsibilities for implementation.
According to him, the Kampala framework adopts a broader agrifood systems approach, covering sustainable production, investment and financing, food and nutrition security, trade, inclusion, resilience and governance.
The minister said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had placed food security at the centre of the national agenda, adding that the Federal Government's responsibility was to translate the mandate into increased production, affordable food, stronger rural economies and a resilient food system.
Kyari said the country had recorded reductions of up to 50 per cent in the prices of some essential food commodities, alongside expanded input delivery, investments in rural infrastructure and support for smallholder farmers.
He, however, said the focus should now be on sustaining and deepening the gains.
The minister disclosed that Nigeria had developed and validated a 10-Year National Agrifood System Strategy and Action Plan to domesticate the CAADP commitments.
He explained that the strategy would provide a harmonised implementation framework with clear roles, responsibilities, timelines and accountability mechanisms.
Kyari added that the framework also integrates CAADP Biennial Review indicators into national planning, budgeting and reporting systems to improve coordination between national and state investments.
He stressed the need for states to leverage their respective agricultural comparative advantages instead of attempting to produce everything.
On fertiliser supply, the minister said early procurement under the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, now under the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, helped secure supplies for the 2026 season and generated ₦61.58 billion in savings.
He added that Nigeria remained on course to deliver a 1.1 million metric tonne fertiliser programme in 2026.
Kyari also said the National Agricultural Mechanization Policy and National Agricultural Mechanization Investment Strategy unveiled in August would support the development of a sustainable mechanisation ecosystem.
According to him, plans include a mega tractor assembly plant with a production capacity of between 2,000 and 4,000 tractors annually.
He further highlighted ongoing efforts to expand all-season production through irrigation, improve access to quality seeds, strengthen agricultural research and connect production areas to processing and markets through the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones.
In a statement by the Head, Department of Information, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, the minister called for greater participation of women and young people across agricultural value chains, as well as stronger conditions for private investment and development finance.
He urged states to ensure that their action plans align with the Kampala commitments and national priorities covering rural infrastructure, extension services, credit, quality inputs, labour-saving technologies, post-harvest loss reduction and climate-resilient agriculture.
The Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, represented by his Deputy, Hon. Usman Kadafur, described the meeting as a platform for shared learning, reflection and collective action towards a more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector.
Zulum said a Community of Practice should ensure that experience becomes knowledge, knowledge becomes action and action produces measurable improvements in people's lives.
Also speaking, Dr Karin Jansen, Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Nigeria, said Germany welcomed Nigeria's leadership in advancing the CAADP Kampala Agenda.
Jansen said Germany was supporting Nigeria's efforts to move from commitments to coordinated implementation through the Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies (AgSys) project.
She explained that the project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, supports agricultural policy processes, scaling of successful approaches and civil society participation.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the meeting underscored the need for states to focus on their specific agricultural strengths.
He also stressed the importance of collaboration among the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Environment and Rural Development in addressing the interconnected challenges of food production, nutrition, environmental sustainability and rural development.
The meeting was attended by Commissioners of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Health, Environment, Commerce and Rural Development, alongside other stakeholders in the agricultural sector.