The International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and the African Development Bank have agreed to donate $1 billion to establish specific agro-industrial processing zones in 24 states across Nigeria.This is on top of the initial $520 million that the development partners decided to allocate for the establishment of eight unique agro-industrial processing zones across the nation.
In a statement, Mr. Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice-President, stated that Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the AfDB, had revealed this in the US.
Adesina is said to have spoken at the Norman Borlaug International Dialogue, World Food Prize 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Vice-President Kashim Shettima gave the keynote speech at the continuing Dialogue on Wednesday. She is attending the event in support of the Tinubu administration's policies on food security and diversification.
In a speech titled "From Dakar to Des Moines," Adesina stated that the determination to establish Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) in 13 nations was reflected in the choice to invest such large sums of money in Nigeria's agricultural sector.
He declared, "To support the development of agricultural value chains, we are heavily investing in the development of SAPZs."
"Food processing and value addition, enabling logistics and infrastructure to support local, regional, and global food trade."
The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones are being developed with $853 million from the African Development Bank Group.
"The bank has committed a total of $1.5 billion, mobilizing an additional 661 million dollars in co-financing."
Adesina stated that the bank was implementing successful collaborations on a large scale, and that it is presently setting up 25 Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones across 13 different nations.
The establishment of eight unique agro-industrial processing zones in Nigeria was made possible by $520 million from the AfDB and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The program's second phase intends to raise an extra $1 billion in order to establish specific agro-industrial processing zones in 24 states of Nigeria.
Adesina expressed sorrow that despite significant advancements in African agriculture, 283 million people—roughly one-third of the 828 million hungry people worldwide—still go without food each night.
In order to guarantee that Africa fully realizes its agricultural potential and feeds itself with pride, he characterized the Norman Borlaug International Dialogue World Food Prize 2023 as a journey and narrative uniting the power of science, technology, policy, and politics.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima and Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde were praised by Adesina for taking part in the international event.
He claimed that their attendance demonstrated Africa's political resolve and readiness to address food insecurity and end hunger on the continent.
Shettima had earlier stated that the quality of current leadership in Nigeria and the rest of Africa would drive transformation in agriculture and other sectors. She was speaking about the Tinubu administration's plans for food security.
He declared, "The caliber of a nation's leadership determines whether it rises or falls fundamentally."
Africa is already endowed with a sizable number of exceptional leaders who possess the will, passion, and skill set necessary to completely reinterpret the definition and idea of contemporary leadership.
"Macky Sall of Senegal and, of course, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt are doing wonderfully well," said President Tinubu, my employer.
"To name a handful of African leaders who are making a name for themselves in the leadership arena."
Shettima gave the assembly of agricultural stakeholders and investors the assurance that Tinubu was a modern African leader of the twenty-first century who is committed to redefining the definition and idea of modern leadership.
He went on, "Be assured that because Nigeria is an anchor nation, there will be a change in the fortunes of the Nigerian nation and by extension, the African continent in the next couple of years."
Regarding wheat production, Shettima stated that Nigeria aimed to attain 50% self-sufficiency during the following three cycles.
"It is unbelievable that we are the world's second-largest importer of wheat," he remarked. Fortunately, we already have wheat seeds that can withstand high temperatures.
And we're going to lead that process by providing farmers with fertilizer, agricultural extension services, heat-tolerant varieties, and more. In the upcoming cropping cycle, we also intend to expand irrigation areas to one million hectares.
In Nigeria, we must produce roughly 2.4 million tonnes of wheat grains. We plan to use digitalization and small-scale irrigation projects to connect with our farmers.
"Crop insurance, innovative finance, and partial credit guarantees will ensure that all the actors in the value chain are adequately taken care of."
Regarding rice production, Shettima stated that the lack of paddy rice was Nigeria's biggest problem.
"But we need to produce three to four million tonnes of paddy rice to meet our requirement of about 2.5 million tonnes per annum," he continued, despite Nigeria having an adequate milling capacity.
The majority of the 75 million hectares of fertile land we have is suitable for rice farming.
Certified seeds, fertilizer, extension services, digitization of services, inputs, funding, and market data are all things we'll offer to our farmers.
"Our goal is to become rice self-sufficient by 2027 at the latest."
During his speech on SAPZs, the vice president reaffirmed the Tinubu administration's commitment to creating an atmosphere that is conducive to investment in the zones.
According to him, the government would establish a SAPZ development authority that would function as a one-stop shop for the resolution of related and regulatory concerns.