A move to alleviate hunger and increase food supply in the Northeast and Northwest Nigeria has been initiated by the Federal government.
Speaking at a project validation workshop in Abuja on Thursday, experts expressed optimism that the project titled “Value Chain Northeast”, will improve food and nutrition security as well as households incomes through inclusive and sustainable value chain development as an enabler for rural transformation.
As food production, nutrition and security remain in the front burner of the economy, the Nigerian Federal Government is reported to be finalizing modalities to introduce value chains In the Northeast and Northwest regions of the country, that would ensure food availability, accessibility, affordability while creating jobs and wealth for rural dwellers in the region.
With the United Nations hunger prediction for Northeast and Northwest Nigeria in 2024, which shows that over 700,000 children are likely to suffer from life-threatening malnutrition in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States, and about 24.7 million people including 14,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in 26 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in food crisis or worse between March and May 2024, participants at the workshop believe the time to kick start the value chain project is now.
The project Value Chain Northern Nigeria, VCN, is to be co-funded by the French Development Agency and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) with special focus on maize, rice, millet, cowpea, and sorghum.
Editor: Ken Eseni
