The agricultural sector in Nigeria may face significant challenges due to the current food importation policies, according to a warning issued by Akinwumi Adesina.

It is imperative that Nigeria increases its food production to achieve food price stability, generate employment opportunities, and minimize foreign exchange expenditures.


The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, expressed concerns regarding the potential negative impact of Nigeria's decision to allow substantial food imports on the nation's agricultural sector. 

This follows the announcement made on July 10th by Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, stating that the Federal Government would temporarily suspend duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of specific commodities, including maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas, through the country's land and sea borders for a period of 150 days.

“Nigeria’s recently announced policy to open its borders for massive food imports, just to tackle short-term food price hikes, is depressing,”  Adesina told African Primates of the Anglican Church at a Retreat in Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday.

He cautioned that the policy may potentially jeopardize the substantial efforts and private investments made in the agricultural sector of Nigeria.

“Nigeria cannot rely on the importation of food to stabilize prices. Nigeria should be producing more food to stabilize food prices, while creating jobs and reducing foreign exchange spending, that will further help stabilize the Naira,” said the African Development Bank president.

“Nigeria cannot import its way out of food insecurity,” he said, “Nigeria must not be turned into a food import-dependent nation.”

During his speech on the topic of 'Food security and financial sustainability in Africa: The Church's role,' Adesina emphasized the critical importance of Nigeria achieving self-sufficiency in food production. He cautioned that a nation reliant on external sources for its sustenance is only nominally independent.

The Interplay Between Faith and Food Security

The clergy gathered in Abuja under the auspices of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), representing over 40 million Anglicans across the continent.

In his opening speech, the host, His Grace the Most Reverend Henry C. Ndukuba, Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), emphasized the significance of the gathering as a rare opportunity for African Anglican leaders to strengthen their bonds of friendship and collaboration, and to collectively share their wisdom and experiences.

The chairperson of the event, Emeritus Nigerian Professor of Science Education, Olugbemiro Jegede, told Adesina: “You have the whole of Africa represented here. Every Primate represents a region. Behind these Primates are millions and millions of Anglicans who are listening to us here.”

Africa is home to almost a third of the world's 780 million hungry people. The African Development Bank president emphasized the crucial role of agriculture in diversifying economies and transforming rural areas, where over 70% of Africa's population resides. He stressed that agricultural transformation is essential for eradicating poverty in Africa.

Africa possesses 65% of the world's remaining uncultivated arable land, which presents a significant opportunity to address global food security challenges. With the world's population projected to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, Africa's agricultural practices and policies will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of global food supply. “Essentially, food is money. The size of the food and agriculture market in Africa will reach $1 trillion by 2030.”

Significant advancements

During his meeting with the Primates, Adesina outlined the Bank's $25 billion initiative aimed at revolutionizing the agricultural sector. This program seeks to equip 40 million farmers with cutting-edge agricultural technologies, thereby ensuring Africa's self-sufficiency in food production by the year 2030..

The Bank's accomplishments in assisting member nations in addressing the adverse effects of climate change were highlighted, with an emphasis on financial investments and the TAAT (Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation) program, a flagship initiative.

As per the Bank president, TAAT has facilitated Ethiopia's transformation into a net wheat exporter within a five-year timeframe. It has also substantially augmented Sudan's wheat production and provided support to nations in Eastern and Southern Africa, enabling them to maintain food production amidst a protracted drought.

In the case of Nigeria, Adesina stated that, in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, a sum of $520 million has been allocated to support the establishment of specialized agricultural processing zones. These zones will facilitate the establishment of private agribusinesses that engage in the processing and value addition of agricultural commodities.

Furthermore, the Bank allocated $134 million to Nigeria for urgent food production to aid in lowering food price inflation by considerably increasing domestic wheat and cassava production under the national Agricultural Growth Scheme.
Adesina urged the Nigerian government to take advantage of the Bank’s investments and support for African farmers; show greater determination and commitment to achieving food self-sufficiency, and to incentivize private sector agribusinesses.

To facilitate Africa's aspirations of advancing within the global agricultural value chains, the African Development Bank Group, in collaboration with its partners, is actively supporting the establishment of 28 specialized Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) across 11 countries. This initiative has successfully secured $4.5 billion in funding to date.

In a recent meeting, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Most Reverend Dr. Jackson Ole Sapit, emphasized the importance of enhanced collaboration between the Bank Group and the Anglican Church. This call for cooperation was made on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa and Bishop of Northern Zambia, the Most Reverend Albert Chama.

“The African mind must be at the center of solving African problems. If the African Development Bank mobilizes resources for the African continent, and the Church also mobilizes resources for holistic transformation, we can achieve a lot working together – and make a difference,” Ole Sapit said.

The role of the church as a catalyst for societal transformation

In the context of agricultural development in Africa, Adesina emphasized the urgent need for visionary and passionate leaders who possess strategic problem-solving skills and the ability to drive transformative change.”

He mentioned the importance of promoting strong government policies to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, along with the implementation of food banks and social protection programs led by the church to assist the less fortunate. Additionally, he emphasized the significance of investing in commercial farms, particularly in rural areas, and advocating for climate change issues. He also stressed the need to support and motivate young Africans to participate in agricultural entrepreneurship, as well as to demand increased financial transparency, public integrity, and improved financial governance from governments.