The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, has reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to boosting food security through strategic partnerships with development agencies, aimed at encouraging increased investment in food production across the country.
According to a statement by the Director, Information and Publicity, Funmi Imuetinyan, shared by the Nigerian Television Authority on its official X account on Sunday, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, disclosed this when the newly appointed Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation to Nigeria, Dr. Gudain Hussein, and his delegation paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
The statement noted that Utsev, during the visit, emphasised Tinubu’s strong commitment to enhancing food production in the country.
He recalled that those efforts inspired the “Declaration of a state of emergency on food security and the administration’s sustained drive to attract investment in various aspects of agriculture and the food value chain.”
“He assured the delegation of the Ministry’s readiness, through the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, to collaborate fully with FAO in advancing food production in Nigeria in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation.”
“The minister added that the FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative and the proposed Investment Summit coming up in Abuja will serve as a veritable platform to unite investors and stakeholders to accelerate food security efforts nationwide”, the statement added.
The statement noted that Hussein, in his remarks, explained that the courtesy visit was to inform the Minister of the forthcoming FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative.
The statement continued, “The Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Dr. Hussein, said the visit is to inform the Minister of the upcoming FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative for the Sahel, themed ‘Investment in Irrigation and Water Resources’, scheduled for 16–18 September 2025 in Abuja.”
“He highlighted the crucial role the Ministry will play in the forum, noting that agriculture consumes nearly 90% of available water resources. He explained that the forum will provide opportunities for strategy development and collaboration in FAO’s intervention areas, including investments through grants, loans, and capacity building.”
“While underscoring the importance of Public-Private Partnerships in crops, livestock, forestry, biodiversity, climate change, and food sustainability, he proposed the formation of a technical committee with the Ministry to develop a policy framework for strategic collaboration.”
