A PHOTO FILE :Vice President Kashim Shettima

The Federal Government on Tuesday announced new incentives aimed at unlocking Nigeria’s vast food production potential and strengthening the nation’s agricultural value chain under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who made the disclosure in Abuja at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) National and Subregional Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, said the initiatives were designed to expand irrigation, strengthen credit access, and create millions of rural jobs.

According to him, while hunger poses a global security issue, Nigeria must mobilise its strengths to secure a future of abundance.

“Nothing unifies humanity as much as hunger. It is the great equaliser that reveals our vulnerabilities and the shared fragility of our existence. Food is not merely a matter of survival; it is a matter of global security,” he said.

The Vice President noted that the administration is introducing single-window platforms for land registration, strengthening agricultural credit systems, expanding irrigation infrastructure, and scaling mechanisation.

“We must facilitate access to land and resources for serious investors. We must drive mechanisation to reduce drudgery and enhance productivity. We must strengthen the agricultural credit system to ensure capital flows to where it is needed most,” he said.

Senator Shettima specifically observed that irrigation is a game-changer, noting that Nigeria has river basins and aquifers capable of irrigating over three million hectares but currently uses less than ten per cent.

In a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said, “strategic investment in irrigation alone could triple yields, free us from seasonal dependency, and fortify our resilience against climate shocks”.

The Vice President also assured investors that Nigeria’s policies are being re-engineered to attract capital through regulatory reforms, public-private partnerships, and agri-tech innovation.

“Nigeria is open for business, and we are ready to partner with you. Let us work hand-in-hand to build Nigeria and a subregion where no one goes to bed hungry, where rural communities are hubs of wealth creation, and where agriculture is the true foundation of our prosperity,” VP Shettima said.

The Vice President further assured that Nigeria is open for business and ready to partner with relevant stakeholders and investors in implementing its national blueprint targeted at creating 21 million full-time jobs in rural and agrarian communities, while securing national food and nutrition sufficiency.

“The vehicle to this future is the quality of policies we have chosen to prioritise. At the top of these interventions stands our National Development Plan (2021–2025), which has set forth ambitious but achievable targets. 

“This blueprint seeks to lift 35 million Nigerians out of poverty, create 21 million full-time jobs in rural and agrarian communities, and secure national food and nutrition sufficiency through deliberate and strategic investments in agriculture,” he added.