The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme’s National Focal Person revealed this during a workshop for non-state actors on the Maputo to Kampala Declaration in Abuja. The Kampala Declaration, adopted by African Union Heads of State in January 2025, sets out a 10-year plan (2026–2035) aimed at transforming Africa’s agrifood systems. It prioritizes increased agricultural output, food and nutrition security, sustainability, and resilience across the continent.
During the workshop, participants urged non-state actors to support the declaration’s implementation, emphasizing the critical roles of government, farmers, and civil society organizations. Africa’s population is projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, with Nigeria alone expected to hit 450 million. Against this backdrop, warnings were issued about worsening food insecurity, as 58% of Africans already face food insecurity, with 924.8 million unable to afford a healthy diet. In Nigeria, about six in ten households cannot afford nutritious meals.
Unsafe food remains a major challenge, with over 130,000 people across Africa falling ill from contaminated food annually, including more than 50,000 in Nigeria, leading to reduced productivity and financial strain on families.
Under the Maputo and Kampala declarations, governments pledged to allocate 10% of their national budgets to agriculture to stimulate a 6% GDP growth rate. However, Nigeria currently spends only about 3%. Efforts to align with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme include establishing a technical committee to draft a 10-year national plan and forming an Agricultural Central Working Group with 86 members from government, private sector, development partners, farmers’ organizations, and research institutions.
Calls were made for greater involvement of women and youths in farming, emphasizing the need to encourage their participation. Accountability in implementing the Kampala Declaration was stressed, with non-state actors urged to strengthen research, evidence generation, and policy advocacy to ensure adequate agricultural budgets and their effective use. Key focus areas include access to credit, labor-saving technologies, extension services, storage facilities, and reducing post-harvest losses.
Smallholder women farmers have been organized into cooperatives, forming a movement of over two million members nationwide—the largest in Africa. Efforts are also underway to mobilize young farmers and support their participation in agricultural policy-making.
The Small-Scale Women Farmers’ Organization reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for the Kampala Declaration’s full implementation, urging the government to increase agricultural investment and ease credit access for smallholder farmers. Warnings were issued against neglecting the sector, as farmers play a vital role in ensuring food security.
Recent reports highlight Nigeria’s deepening poverty crisis, with over 75% of the rural population and 40% in urban areas living in poverty. Since overtaking India as the world’s poverty capital in 2018, the situation worsened to 133 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty by 2022. The 2024 removal of petrol subsidies and naira floating exacerbated hardships, reflecting structural economic challenges that demand urgent intervention.