The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), an agency of the United Nations says Nigeria has expressed its interest to join the initiative to accelerate agricultural transformation and sustainable rural development.
FAO National Communication Officer, David Tsokar, made this known in a statement in Abuja. The statement said that the country was ready to join the other 20 countries involved in this new initiative.
According to the statement, the initiative or Hand-in-Hand initiative was launched in 2019 by FAO’s Director General, Qu Dongyu. It is meant to support evidence-based, country-led and country-owned investments for eradicating poverty and ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition.
All of which will lead to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals particularly goals number one and two on poverty eradication and ending hunger,”
The statement said that through the initiative, FAO would bring its technical expertise in all areas of its mandate, with emphasis on innovation and digital technologies.
FAO, however, assured commitment to support the country’s development through the initiative, innovation digitalisation of agriculture and called for a quick ratification and domestication of pending international legal instruments.
According to the statement, the minister of Agriculture, Sabo Nanono said the initiative was a good one and timely for the country to ensure food security and nutrition to all Nigerians.
The statement said that the minister directed that a letter expressing Nigeria’s interest to take part in the initiative be drafted immediately.
He also nominated a focal point from the Ministry, to liaise with the FAO team and other Government experts from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in assembling required data for analysis.