FG Urges West African Stakeholders to Harness Financing for Agroecology

The Federal Government has called on stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors across West Africa to leverage innovative financing strategies to strengthen agroecology and organic agriculture practices. The appeal was made by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, at the Regional Forum on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture in West Africa, held on Monday in Abuja.

Highlighting the importance of the forum, Mr. Kyari said such efforts were crucial to ensuring food and nutrition security as well as food sovereignty in the region. The event, themed “Financing the Transformation of Sustainable Food and Nutrition Systems for Food Sovereignty in West Africa through Organic Agriculture and Agroecology: Considering What Policies, Mechanisms and Instruments?”, was organised by ActionAid Nigeria in collaboration with the Forum on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture in West Africa and other partners.

Represented by Ibrahim Tanimu, Director of Planning and Policy Coordination at the Ministry, the minister noted that access to finance remains a key constraint in developing resilient food systems. He urged participants to identify bottlenecks in financing, with particular focus on economic and fiscal policies that influence agricultural growth.

“I urge you to think critically about your role in promoting and leveraging financing strategies for agroecology and organic agriculture in West Africa, supporting both local consumption and regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA),” he said.

Mr. Kyari emphasized the importance of experience-sharing on sustainable resource use, including soil management, pest and disease control, biodiversity protection, and environmental conservation. He said agroecology and organic agriculture provide practical solutions for building food-secured futures in the region.

While acknowledging support from multilateral agencies and donors, the minister stressed that Nigeria’s annual budgetary allocation to agriculture remains below the 10 per cent target agreed in the 2014 Malabo Declaration. He noted, however, that the 2024 budget reflects a 59 per cent increase toward meeting this target.

The minister reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to collaborative approaches that foster systemic solutions and an enabling policy environment for transforming food systems.

The forum brought together representatives from agriculture, environment, finance, and economy ministries across ECOWAS member states, the ECOWAS Commission, the European Union delegation, the Agroecology Programme in West Africa, the French Development Agency, FAO’s West Africa Regional Office, BOAD, UEMOA, the West Africa Alliance for Agroecology (3AO), West African Organic Network (WAFRONET), and other key stakeholders.