President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday promised his administration would create at least 3.5 million new jobs in agriculture and allied industries by 2015.
He expressed confidence that the feat would be achieved with the policy and institutional reforms being embarked upon by the Federal Government under his watch.
Jonathan said this during the opening of a meeting with members of the Eminent Persons Group on the transformation of Nigeria’s agricultural sector in Geneva, Switzerland.
He said the reform programme, apart from generating new jobs, would also add about 20 million metric tonnes of food to domestic supply by the same year.
Jonathan said, “The present administration’s objective is to build on Nigeria’s tremendous natural resources, reverse the decline in the agricultural sector’s productivity, which followed the discovery of oil; establish domestic self-sufficiency in food and make the country a major exporter of food.
“Such a shift will not only reduce the billions of dollars we spend importing basic food items, but will also create millions of jobs, especially for our youth. This shift will also drive agricultural industrialisation as more agro-allied enterprises are established to process and add value to local foods for domestic and international markets.”
The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to a government-enabled, private sector-driven transformation of the nation’s agricultural sector.
He promised that government would continue to work towards ensuring the reduction of cost of doing business in the country.
Meanwhile, the African Development Bank and some global leaders on Tuesday promised to support Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, quoted the global leaders as making the pledge at the first meeting of Nigeria’s Eminent Persons’ Group hosted by Jonathan.
The newly-formed group of influential global leaders is expected to advise the President on actions to help achieve the country’s agricultural transformation agenda as well as provide a global platform for encouraging investment in Nigeria’s growing agricultural sector.
Members of the EMG include the co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates; Chair, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Mr. Kofi Annan; President, African Development Bank, Dr. Donald Kaberuka; President, International Fund for Agriculture Development, Dr. Kanayo Nwanze; and Chairman, Fresh Del Monte Produce Incorporated, Mohammed Abu-Ghazaleh .
Kaberuka was quoted as saying that they would support Nigeria to further develop its agricultural sector.
He said, “What Nigeria is doing in its agriculture sector is an example for the rest of Africa. That is why the African Development Bank is strongly supporting this agricultural transformation agenda.
“The political will is strong and the minister is driving innovative ideas for change. We will support Nigeria to further develop its agricultural infrastructure to ensure a positive investment climate for agribusiness.”
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, told the gathering that Nigeria would soon be a model for the rest of Africa in addressing food insecurity.
He said, “We ended decades of corruption in the fertilizer and seed sectors of Nigeria within just three months of this administration. We also introduced the use of electronic wallets to deliver subsidised inputs directly to farmers through their cell phones and reaching 1.2 million farmers.
“Our policy reforms and incentives have attracted $8bn of private sector investment commitments so far. Based on our success, Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda will be a model for the rest of Africa to address food insecurity and drive economic growth.”