The African Union Development Agency (AUDA) has earmarked a 10-year two billion project to empower Nigerian Farmers as part of the efforts to achieve food security and nutrition in the country.
The National Coordinator of AUDA-New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Gloria Akobundu said during a round-table meeting on the project that it will help to boost food sufficiency in Nigeria for local consumption and export. She added that the project will be implemented in phases at the state and local government levels involving 22 pilot states.
“This is a 10-year plan for food sufficiency and zero hunger in Nigeria. We are addressing hunger with bottom-to-top approach involving local farmers across 22 pilot states to ensure that grassroots poverty is eradicated, COVID-19 effects is mitigated and gainful employment of women and youths,” she said.
The project is being implemented under the continental initiative called Africa Forest and Landscape Restoration Initiative signed by Nigeria and 20 other African countries, according to the AU official.
According to Akobundu, Nigeria spent about 6 billion dollars on food import annually, adding that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has committed to lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years and this program is one of the strategic moves to help achieve that goal, in effect ensuring food security for all.
The West Africa nation’s poverty rate stood at 40.1 percent, representing a population of 82.9 million living below its poverty line of 137,430 naira (about 380 dollars) per year, said the National Bureau of Statistics in a report about poverty and inequality from September 2018 to October 2019 released in May.
