Food security: Tinubu declares national emergency
Food security: Tinubu declares national emergency
President Bola Tinubu has declared a national emergency on food security.
While announcing the move on Monday, the president called for increased irrigation infrastructure as well as participatory water resource management across the country.
Tinubu who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume,made the declaration while opening the 6th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage in Abuja.
He urged African nations to adopt innovative strategies in addressing the continent’s irrigation and water management crisis.
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He described the conference theme, “Tackling Irrigation Development and Water Management Crisis in Africa” as a clarion call to action for sustainable agriculture and economic resilience.
“Africa continues to face major challenges in unlocking its irrigation potential due to inadequate infrastructure, financial constraints, climate change, and governance issues.
“This conference offers a vital platform for us to collectively chart a path forward,” he said.
According to him, the country had more than 3.1 million hectares of irrigable land located around key river basins such as the Niger and Benue.
In his remarks, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the government had completed several landmark initiatives under the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria project.
He announced that its successor, the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria project, would address outstanding gaps while maximizing the economic value of water resources to support food security.
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Food security: Tinubu declares national emergency