The President of the African Development Bank Group Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has tagged the decision by the Nigerian government to allow massive food importation as a risky one that would destroy the country’s agriculture.
He said this during a retreat of African Primates of the Anglican Church in Abuja, Nigeria on Friday.
This stance follows the announcement by Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari on 10 July that the Federal government would suspend duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas through the country’s land and sea borders, for 150 days.
According to Adesina, the decision is a depressing one and would do nothing for the country’s foreign exchange spending. He said:
“Nigeria’s recently announced policy to open its borders for massive food imports, just to tackle short-term food price hikes, is depressing,
“Nigeria cannot rely on the importation of food to stabilise prices. Nigeria should be producing more food to stabilise food prices while creating jobs and reducing foreign exchange spending that will further help stabilise the Naira,”
“Nigeria cannot import its way out of food insecurity,” he said, “Nigeria must not be turned into a food import-dependent nation.”
Speaking on the theme ‘Food security and financial sustainability in Africa: The role of the Church,’ Mr Adesina said Nigeria “must feed itself with pride,” and warned that “a nation that depends on others to feed itself, is independent only in name.”
He warned that the policy could undermine all the hard work and private investments that have gone into Nigeria’s agriculture sector.
The retreat held clerics representing more than 40 million Anglicans across the continent assembled in Abuja under the umbrella of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA). The gathering was to discuss the role of the church in tackling food security and financial sustainability in Africa.
According to Adesina, public advocacy for robust government policies to end hunger and malnutrition, complemented by church-led food banks and other social protection programmes for the poor and needy is a viable solution for Africa.
In addition to that, investing in commercial farms, especially in rural areas; advocacy on issues of climate change; supporting and encouraging young Africans to engage in agricultural entrepreneurship; and demanding greater financial accountability, public probity, and better financial management from governments would make a difference in the Agricultural sector in the continent.
