SEYI TAIWO-OGUNTUASE
The agriculture ecosystem has been described as a new economic frontier in Nigeria that has the potential to revolutionise Nigeria’s economy and Nigerians’ lives, from healthcare, environmental sustainability, food production and security, financial sustainability, and education.
Kola Aderibigbe, Chairman of the Agric and Agro-Allied Group of the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), dropped this hint in an interview stressing that this could be a game changer and transform from obscurity to abundance and transform Nigeria into an enviable space globally.
He stressed the need for Nigeria to trace her steps back to the agrarian economy and combine the digital economy with a conducive business environment.
Aderibigbe, noted that there should be increasing awareness and understanding among stakeholders and government agencies, adequate infrastructure and resources, and the need for harmonisation and surgical alignment with regional and international frameworks that will enhance capacity building, strengthen collaboration among stakeholders, and leveraging technology and innovation for efficiency.
He said each state’s ministry of Agriculture and Federal must get it right to deliver their mandate of national food security and seamless flow of agricultural-based raw materials for industrial development.
“When a nation sufficiently builds the capacity to self-feed itself, it would move to the next stage of development which is transferring its agricultural surplus to industrial raw materials. A hungry nation cannot be a productive nation.
“For all developed nations, national development rests on two critical supports historically: agricultural development and industrialization before the current digital economy.
“With security being the number two point on Mr. President’s eight-point agenda, we need to provide a secured, stable, and promising ambiance to encourage farmers and the citizens to go back to farm and to attract foreign agro-investors for sustainable national development.
Speaking further, he said there is a need to make agriculture attractive to the youth.
“Let’s continually leverage on getting our youth engaged positively and get them to develop an interest in agribusiness as tomorrow’s leaders through digitalization, creative art, security, empowerment, and fund availability.
He pointed out that it is the young population that can assist to drive transformational change required to take preeminence top position in Nigeria food production in global space.
He noted that food demand is rising constantly due to increasing populations and incomes, but the resources to meet this demand, such as affordable land, irrigation systems, and lack of good ecological systems which always affect over 20 states each year must be intentionally addressed.
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