Nigeria's northeast faces worst hunger in a decade as aid cuts hit region, UN says

Thousands of people in Nigeria's strife-torn northeast are facing the risk of catastrophic food shortages for ​the first time in nearly a decade, as aid cuts deepen ‌malnutrition across the region, the U.N. World Food Programme warned on Friday.

Around 15,000 people are at risk ‌in Borno state, the agency said, an area already struggling with years of militant unrest.

Across West and Central Africa, 55 million people are facing severe food shortages, with more than three quarters of the people affected in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and ⁠Niger, it added.

The U.N. body ‌did not pick out specific funding but agencies have been raising the alarm since the Trump administration started reducing aid as ‍part of its “America First” policy last year, and Britain and others cut aid budgets to boost spending on defence.

More than 13 million children in the region were projected to suffer ​malnutrition this year, the WFP said.

Conflict, displacement and economic pressures have driven ‌food insecurity for years, but cuts to humanitarian assistance were now pushing vulnerable communities beyond their ability to cope, the statement added.

“The reduced funding we saw in 2025 has deepened hunger and malnutrition across the region,” Sarah Longford, WFP’s deputy regional director for West and Central Africa, said.

Funding shortfalls in 2025 had already forced ⁠WFP to scale back nutrition programmes in ​Nigeria, affecting more than 300,000 children, after the ​agency warned that nearly 35 million people could go hungry as its resources ran out in December.

Elsewhere, insecurity in Mali has disrupted ‍food supply routes, leaving ⁠1.5 million people facing crisis levels of hunger, while more than half a million people in Cameroon risk being cut off from aid in ⁠the coming weeks, the statement said.

The U.N. agency said it needed more than $453 million over the ‌next six months to continue providing humanitarian assistance across the region.

By Ben Ezeamalu, Reuters

Nigerians’ health at risk from pesticides used by farmers

The use of hazardous pesticides and agrochemicals by farmers and traders to protect crops, control weeds, and store food products is silently poisoning Nigerians and causing havoc to their health and the environment, experts say.

Some of the highly hazardous pesticides include: Atrazine, Butachlor, Dichlorovos, Carbendazim, Cypermethrin, Dimethoate, Diuron, Endosulfan, Glyphosate, and Imidacloprid. Others are Carbofuran, Chlorpyrifos, Paraquat, Mancozeb, and Permethrin among others.

These hazardous pesticides, often banned in other countries, are still widely traded in Nigeria despite their devastating impacts on human health.

According to data from the Alliance for Action on Pesticides in Nigeria (AAPN), 17 of these highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) banned in other countries are found in the hands of Nigerian farmers.

Although the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has banned six of the 17 HHPs, they are still in use in the country and can be found in local markets.

Most of these pesticides, when accumulated in human bodies, cause endocrine and nervous system disruption, carcinogenic, developmental and neurological damage, among others, experts say.

“When pesticides are used beyond the maximum limits on food products, it becomes dangerous to human health,” said Joseph Akinneye, a professor at the Department of Biology at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State.

“Farmers and traders in the country often use these chemicals at high levels, and the accumulation of them in the body causes cancer, difficulty in breathing and hormonal imbalance among other illnesses,” Akinneye said.

“This is wrong and must stop to save lives,” he said, while calling for farmers and traders’ education on pesticide use and application. He noted that limited knowledge of the dangers of highly hazardous agrochemicals is fuelling increased use.

He explained that in most countries, there are regulations and penalties for exceeding the maximum limits on the use of agrochemicals, noting that the Nigerian Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is responsible for this in the country.

He added that the agency has failed to effectively regulate these hazardous chemicals, as some that are banned in the country are still found in open markets.

Pesticide imports into Africa have increased significantly in recent years. In West Africa, imports nearly doubled in five years, rising from 218,948 tonnes in 2015 to 437,930 tonnes in 2020. Of this total in 2020, Nigeria accounted for 33.67 percent, according to data from the Alliance for Action on Pesticides in Nigeria (AAPN).

In 2021, almost two-thirds (about 66 percent) of agrochemicals found in Nigeria were categorised as highly hazardous, according to a Pesticide Atlas report.

The report also found elevated levels of residues were detected in tomato samples from Nigeria, including traces of permethrin, a chemical the US Environmental Protection Agency classified as probably carcinogenic.

Beans from Nigeria showed high levels of contamination as samples contained up to 0.3 milligrammes per kilogramme of dichlorvos. The legal limit in Europe is 0.01 milligrammes per kilogramme.

Patrick Ijewere, medical director at The Nutrition Hospital, said most of the agrochemicals used by Nigerian farmers contain active ingredients that the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Agency for Research on Cancer, among others, have categorised as highly hazardous due to their toxic effect on humans and the environment.

He noted that the use of highly hazardous agrochemicals is dangerous to human health when consumed over a long period. “The side effects are responsible for the rising cases of cancer we have now in the country because Nigerians consume these food products daily,” Ijewere said.

Fuelling export rejection

The high use of agrochemicals by farmers has continued to drive rejection of Nigerian food exported to the European Union (EU), the U.S. and others.

The European Union (EU) had in 2016 rejected 24 food products from Nigeria. Groundnuts were rejected because they contained aflatoxin, while palm oil had a colouring agent that was carcinogenic.

The European Food Safety Authority had likewise rejected beans from Nigeria in 2015 because they contained between 0.03mg per kg and 4.6mg/kg of dichlorvos pesticide, when the acceptable maximum residue limit was 0.01mg/kg.

The ban is still in place, indicating that Nigerian food processors and exporters are yet to change from such practice.

“The high use of hazardous pesticides is why our food products are still banned in Europe and other countries,” Ijewere said.

Organic pesticides provide alternative

Experts have urged governments at all levels to prioritise investments in organic and agroecological farming as sustainable alternatives to conventional agriculture.

Jude Obi, a professor and president of the Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria (NOAN), stressed the need for awareness and advocacy for organic agriculture while de-emphasising conventional practices that rely heavily on agrochemical application.

Obi noted that countries are shifting to using more organic pesticides and less agrochemicals in food production owing to its health and environmental benefits.

By Josephine Okojie-Okeiyi, Business Day

Nigeria’s escalating insecurity and looming hunger catastrophe

The latest alert by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), warning that 35 million Nigerians could fall into severe hunger during the 2026 lean season, is not a distant forecast. It reflects a brutal reality already unfolding across the country. Events in the past few weeks alone have laid bare the fragility of Nigeria’s food security and validated the concerns long expressed by humanitarian agencies, local communities, and agricultural experts. The warning is both a wake-up call and a damning verdict on the government’s response to the intersecting crises of insecurity, climate change, and economic hardship.

 
For years, successive administrations have repeatedly emphasised food security as a national priority. Yet, the lived experiences of farmers, traders, and rural communities reveal a stark contradiction. While the government launches yet another initiative, programme, or roadmap, farmers, the bedrock of the nation’s food supply, are being chased from their lands, killed, kidnapped for ransom, or forced to seek refuge in overcrowded camps. In some regions, they are compelled to pay “protection levies” to terrorists just to access their own farmlands. Farming, once a proud and rewarding livelihood, is now synonymous with fear, uncertainty, and death.

A nation where food producers must negotiate access to their fields with armed groups cannot claim to be mindful of food security. No matter the agricultural policies announced in Abuja, the reality in rural Nigeria remains that insecurity has become the single greatest threat to food production. Until the government deploys a coordinated, decisive response to the security crisis, hope to reduce food import dependency or stabilise food prices will remain a mirage.

The WFP Country Director, David Stevenson, underscored the extent of the crisis when he reported that Northern Nigeria is experiencing the worst hunger levels in a decade. According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé analysis, nearly six million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe alone will face crisis-level hunger or worse from June to August 2026. Particularly worrying is the projection that at least 15,000 people in Borno could slip into Phase 5 catastrophic, famine-like conditions, if the current trends persist. These are not just numbers; they are human lives, families, children, and communities caught in a web of violence and vulnerability.

Children, as always, bear the heaviest burden. Malnutrition rates are highest across Borno, Yobe, Sokoto, and Zamfara, made worse by the scaling down of WFP nutrition programmes due to funding constraints. With clinics shutting down and humanitarian workers unable to safely access many communities, severe acute malnutrition has escalated from “serious” to “critical” in large parts of the North-East. Each closure of a nutrition centre translates to children losing their last lifeline.

But insecurity is not the only force driving Nigeria toward the brink of famine. Climate change has intensified the threats facing already vulnerable communities. Erratic rainfall, hotter temperatures, prolonged dry spells, and devastating floods have disrupted traditional farming cycles. Rivers, lakes, and streams that once supported farming and herding are disappearing or drying earlier than expected. The shrinking of waters across Northern Nigeria has forced pastoralists to expand their search for grazing lands, worsening the already volatile herder-farmer conflicts and deepening communal tensions.

The Lake Chad Basin, historically a major source of livelihood for millions, continues to recede, leaving behind barren land, displaced people, and lost income streams. In other states, wetlands that supported rice cultivation have become dry or saline. Without water for irrigation or livestock, many farming communities are left with no option but to migrate, abandon their land, or compete violently for remaining resources. Climate change, therefore, is not a distant environmental concern: it is a direct multiplier of hunger, insecurity, and displacement.

The menace of armed herders further complicates this landscape. Farmers across the Middle Belt and southern states continue to face violent incursions into farmlands, with crops destroyed and communities attacked. In many cases, these clashes have escalated into deadly confrontations that displace entire populations and deter farming activities. The lack of a concrete national strategy to modernise livestock production or enforce land-use policies ensures that the cycle of violence continues, threatening food-producing regions far beyond the North.

The convergence of these crises, insecurity, climate change, herder-farmer conflict, and economic distress has created a perfect storm that could plunge Africa’s most populous nation into a widespread hunger emergency. The implications extend far beyond food shortages. As the WFP warns, hunger itself can fuel further instability. Insurgent groups often exploit food scarcity to recruit desperate youths, impose control over communities, and expand their influence across fragile regions.

The consequences of failing to act are dire: increasing displacement, rising food prices, mass poverty, and a growing humanitarian burden that Nigeria’s already strained institutions are ill-equipped to handle.

To avert this looming catastrophe, Nigeria must adopt bold, pragmatic, and urgent measures. What is needed now is strategic action grounded in political will, community engagement, and accountability.

First, secure food-producing regions with specialised military and civilian units. Protection of agricultural hubs should be treated as a national security priority. Nigeria must deploy dedicated agro-ranger units, rapid-response battalions, and community-supported security outfits to reclaim farmlands from insurgents, bandits, and violent herder militias. The goal is to create safe corridors for cultivation, harvesting, and distribution.

Second, dismantle terrorist taxation networks. One of the most disturbing trends is the imposition of “farming levies” by terrorists. Government intelligence agencies must identify the logistics, collaborators, and financial channels that make these extortions possible. Cutting off this revenue pipeline is critical to weakening insurgent operations.

Thirdly, climate-proof Nigeria’s agricultural system. Nigeria needs substantial investment in irrigation systems, watershed restoration, and drought-resistant crop varieties. Rehabilitating degraded lakes and river basins, especially in the North-East, will help rebuild livelihoods. Climate prediction tools, early-warning systems, and farmer training on adaptive practices should be widely deployed.

Fourth, resolve herder-farmer conflicts through policy reform, not force. Nigeria must adopt modern livestock management policies, including ranching and regulated grazing reserves, backed by enforceable land-use legislation. This will reduce the pressure on farmlands, curb clashes, and support peaceful coexistence.

Fifth, strengthen food aid coordination and humanitarian funding. With WFP warning of imminent resource depletion, Nigeria must work with international partners to mobilise financing, expand access to vulnerable areas, and protect humanitarian workers. A revitalised national food reserve system, managed professionally and shielded from political interference, is also essential.

Sixth, empower local governance and early-response systems. Local governments should be given the autonomy and resources to support community security structures, manage relief distribution, and coordinate climate and conflict early-warning mechanisms tailored to their unique realities.

The warning from the UN is not merely a statistical projection; it is a mirror reflecting the nation’s failures, vulnerabilities, and urgent priorities. A country that cannot protect its farmers cannot feed its people.

The window for action is rapidly closing. But with decisive leadership, coordinated policy reforms, and a genuine commitment to securing rural communities, the nation can still avert the worst and restore hope to millions.

The Guardian

Rebuilding Nigeria’s food system through practical agricultural reforms

On assuming office, President Bola Tinubu placed food security at the core of his administration’s agenda, framing it as both an economic necessity and a national security imperative.

This priority informed his declaration of a state of emergency on food security in July 2023, a move officials say reshaped Nigeria’s agricultural strategy.

The declaration shifted emphasis from policy debates to practical, on-the-ground initiatives aimed at boosting production, stabilising markets and improving food access nationwide.

Central to this shift is Nigeria’s partnership with Belarus to acquire 10,000 tractors over five years under the Belarus Agricultural Mechanisation Programme.

Officials said the initiative was a major step towards modernising farming while equipping young Nigerians with practical skills in mechanised agriculture.

With Belarus providing equipment and technical support, the programme is expected to create jobs, reduce food imports and revitalise rural economies.

Complementing this is the Greener Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, designed to further enhance food production and strengthen agricultural resilience.

In June 2025, President Tinubu inaugurated 2,000 tractors for nationwide deployment under the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme.

The initiative aims to empower smallholder farmers with modern equipment, reduce manual labour and greatly increase crop yields.

Government projections indicate the programme will produce over two million metric tonnes of staple foods while creating jobs for youths and women.

The tractors have been delivered, with plans to deploy them through Agricultural Mechanisation Service Centres to ensure affordability, maintenance and efficient service delivery.

At the unveiling, President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transforming agriculture through mechanisation and national food security.

He stated that the rollout was a landmark moment in his food security agenda and a crucial effort to empower farmers and stimulate rural development.

“When deployed, the equipment will empower mechanisation, create job opportunities and make farming easier,” Tinubu said.

He added, “We made a promise when we came in. We are fulfilling that promise. Two years ago, I sounded the alarm on our nation’s food security”.

Tinubu stressed that agricultural productivity was synonymous with national stability and food sovereignty.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said the unveiling was a defining milestone in Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.

“It is a bold affirmation that under President Tinubu, agriculture is once again at the heart of our national development strategy,” Kyari said.

“Never in Nigeria’s history have we witnessed an agricultural mechanisation initiative of this scale, ambition and national focus,” he added.

Kyari noted that the programme unveiled 2,000 tractors, harvesters, mobile workshops, over 9,000 implements and spare parts.

He said the initiative would cultivate over 550,000 hectares, produce over two million metric tonnes of staples and directly benefit 550,000 farming households.

Beyond mechanisation, agro-industrialisation remains a key pillar of the administration’s agricultural reforms.

The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones programme is designed to drive industrial transformation across the agricultural value chain.

At the SAPZ groundbreaking in Ijaiye, Ibadan, Vice-President Kashim Shettima described the initiative as a catalyst for industrial revolution.

Represented by Kyari, Shettima said the programme marked a decisive stride toward building a resilient, self-sufficient and prosperous Nigeria.

“This is not just infrastructure, It is a bold declaration that Nigeria’s future lies in value-added agricultural production.

“The SAPZ initiative is a cornerstone of the Renewed Hope Agenda championed by President Tinubu,” Shettima added.

Youth and women inclusion has also featured prominently in the administration’s food security strategy.

Kyari said empowering youth and women farmers would accelerate development, boost production and revitalise agribusiness.

According to him, young entrepreneurs drive innovation, create economic opportunities and foster inclusive agricultural growth.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Agriculture, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, said government was promoting year-round farming.

He disclosed that a Dry Season Farming Initiative covering 500,000 hectares had commenced nationwide.

“The first phase focused on wheat in 15 states, while the second phase covers rice, maize and cassava,” Abdullahi said.

To strengthen planning and competitiveness, the Federal Government signed an MoU with the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) on agricultural produce traceability and farmland monitoring.

Kyari said the agreement was “strategic and symbolic” for Nigeria’s participation in global markets.

NASRDA Director-General, Dr Mathew Adepoju, said satellite technology would be deployed to trace agricultural produce.

“We will continuously support the ministry’s programmes and ensure full implementation of the MoU,” Adepoju said.

Permanent Secretary, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, said traceability and deforestation-free supply chains had become global imperatives.

The government also reported steady growth in agricultural output during the 2025 wet season.

Presenting the 2025 Agricultural Performance Survey, Kyari said production of major staples rose above 2024 levels.

“This progress, coupled with significant price drops, reflects improved supply and cumulative intervention effects,” he said.

Similarly, Prof. Yusuf Ahmad, Executive Director of the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), said maize, rice and sorghum prices dropped by over 50 per cent nationwide.

Also, Vice-Chancellor of ABU Zaria, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, said Nigerian farmers had shown remarkable resilience.

“Our task now is to make agriculture more adaptive, efficient and data-driven,” he said.

To address financing gaps, Kyari disclosed that President Tinubu approved N1.5 trillion recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture.

He added that a N250 billion financing window for smallholder farmers had also been approved.

Kyari said agriculture remains the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and central to national renewal.

“Independence is not only political; it is economic and agricultural self-reliance,” he said.

“With President Tinubu at the helm, Nigeria will achieve food sovereignty where no family goes hungry,” Kyari added.

However, some agricultural economists caution that mechanisation alone cannot resolve Nigeria’s deep-rooted food insecurity challenges without parallel investments in infrastructure and security.

Dr Muhammad Ibrahim, an agricultural economist, said poor rural roads, storage deficits and insecurity still limit farmers’ ability to maximise mechanisation gains.

“Tractors increase output, but without access roads, storage facilities and stable markets, farmers may still incur post-harvest losses,” Ibrahim said.

Similarly, food systems analyst Dr Aisha Bello warned that affordability remains a major concern for smallholder farmers.

“If access to mechanisation services is not subsidised and transparent, smallholders risk exclusion despite the scale of these interventions,” she said.

Some farmer groups have also urged caution, stressing the need for inclusive deployment models.

A maize farmer in Kaduna, who requested anonymity, said, “Mechanisation is welcome, but farmers need clarity on costs, availability and maintenance support”.

Climate experts further argue that mechanisation must be aligned with climate-smart agriculture.

Dr Samuel Onyekachi, an environmental policy researcher, said erratic rainfall and soil degradation could undermine productivity gains.

“Without climate adaptation measures, higher production targets may not be sustainable in the long term,” he said.

Civil society organisations have also called for stronger monitoring and transparency.

The Agriculture and Food Security Network said independent oversight was needed to ensure equitable tractor allocation and prevent elite capture.

In spite of the concerns, most experts agree that the administration’s interventions mark a huge departure from past approaches.

They stress that sustained implementation, accountability and farmer-centred execution will determine whether the reforms translate into lasting food security.

By Doris Esa, NAN

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Nigeria grows strawberries, but poor infrastructure keeps them from markets

 

As early as 5am, farmers in rural Vom in Jos Plateau state set out to their strawberry farms. With torchlights strapped to their foreheads, they pick the delicate berries while the air is still cool. The earlier they are done picking, the earlier the trucks can move. Strawberries are at their best when cold, and any delay risks bruising or rot.

But once the berries leave the farm, the real problem begins.

After a careful harvest, the journey out of the farm to the big city buyers is precarious. With no direct flights, farmers rely entirely on road transport to reach markets. What leaves the farm vibrant and firm often arrives softened, leaking, or outright unsellable.

Nigeria’s strawberry production is relatively infantile. Official production figures are unavailable publicly but market report from intelligence company, Essfeed shows that Nigeria produces around 3,000 tons of strawberries annually. The industry is valued at approximately $2 million, with local markets being the primary focus.

Tridge, a market intelligence company reports that strawberry harvest season in Nigeria begins to peak in December with over 70 percent of total production coming from Chaha district in Vom, Jos South Local Government of Plateau State.

The berry’s derivative is used in jams, smoothies, parfaits and fruit juices, and is also consumed directly.

Yet those in the business are meeting the season with more worry than excitement.

Bwai Grace, a local produce procurer in Jos, told BusinessDay that gaps in logistics and other infrastructure have “seriously” weakened demand. She now struggles to meet orders from Maiduguri, Katsina and even parts of Port Harcourt reachable only by rough roads.

With no cargo flights, farmers typically loaded their strawberries onto passenger planes, hoping the boxes are kept near the air conditioner. But when airlines such as Arik and Max Air halted flights to Plateau State, the chain collapsed, leaving them stranded and scrambling for improvised road transport.

“For years, Arik was the only lifeline. We paid more per kg in air cargo than we paid farmers per kg of produce. Logistics cost more than the fruit, and we still paid for it, because at least the berries arrived fresh and wholesome across the country,” said Deola Balogun, chief operating officer at Limlim Foods Production Ltd in a LinkedIn post.

“But overnight, it collapsed, Arik stopped flying into Jos in October. ValueJet is now the only carrier flying out from Jos, and they refused to carry strawberries,” Balogun added.

Grace explained the alternative. “I have someone with a deep freezer that uses an inverter. I wash the strawberry very well with water level at 11.5 pH to preserve the taste, then freeze them in kilos and cover with styrofoam so it doesn’t drip,” she said.

Her efforts could only do so much. Long hours on hot, uneven roads stress the fruit and a breakdown or checkpoint delay thins the line between a marketable carton and a total loss. “The weather outside Jos is really hot. And once you start changing the environment, the food will start becoming stressed and struggle to breathe,” she said.

Many of the cartons of strawberries eventually arrive “not looking like food” and clients demand refunds.

“At some point last year, in February, I had to even close business for a very long time. I just told them, let me just travel and clear my head,” she said.

Balogun also recounted losing 20 to 30 percent of her produce due to checkpoint delays and rough roads that broke the boxes.

“Road is not a solution today. It’s a controlled disaster. We’re not losing strawberries because farmers don’t know how to grow them, we’re losing them because a berry’s entire value chain depended on a plane we didn’t control,” she said.

Hopi Afrique, a Nigerian farm produce business based in Jos, does not hide the vulnerability. Under its listing on Flutterwave, it wrote boldly, “Some of your strawberries will bruise or melt in transit.”

According to Tridge, Nigerian strawberries are currently sold at $3.64 per kg in wholesale markets. Grace said she sells her strawberries sell for N18,000 per 5kg.

Hopi Afrique estimates a carton at roughly 5.5kg, which means losing even ten boxes wipes out close to N200,000 in addition to transportation costs.

Plugging the gap

The gap in prices ultimately tilts the market towards imports, keeping Nigeria on a costly cycle of bringing in the very strawberries it already grows.

In 2023, the country spent up N600million to import fresh strawberries, 80 percent of which came from Niger, according to data from The World Bank and the United Nations. South Africa, Belgium, Denmark were other major sources.

“If Plateau produces approximately 700 tons this season and we lose 50 percent due to lack of movement, 350 tons will rot in 120 days. By April, Lagos will import strawberries, puree and concentrate while fresh berries rot in Jos,” Balogun said.

The real fix, according to Grace, is reliable, temperature-controlled vans and cargo planes that are “very fast” to preserve strawberries during transit out of Jos.

However, the issue must first be resolved on the farm, she said.

Recently, security worries have altered the harvest routine. Instead of picking at dawn, which is the ideal time to retain firmness, farmers now wait until it’s safer to move around. That later start means the fruit hits the sun earlier, warming up long before it reaches any buyer.

The farms also require consistent water supply through boreholes and overhead tanks to replace the more tedious process of sourcing water from distant streams with pipes.

At the top of the priority for farmers is also access to affordable, high-quality fertilisers. Grace said that getting organic fertilisers is not cheap and farmers have to liaise with “someone abroad” to get the best and use them on their farms.

Balogun says without these measures, “[Nigeria] will keep planting pride and harvesting loss.”

By Bethel Olujobi, Business Day

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Nigeria unveils $3.1 billion agricultural investment portfolio to boost food security

The federal government has announced a $3.14 billion agricultural investment package targeting major staple foods consumed in the country under the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Hand-in-Hand Initiative.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this in a statement posted on his X page on Wednesday.

“Yesterday in Abuja, I presented Nigeria’s $3.14bn Agricultural Investment Portfolio at the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, graciously declared open by His Excellency, Vice President Kashim Shettima, GCON,” the Minister said.

He explained that the programmes are designed to enhance food productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, and strengthen food security while offering investors significant financial returns.

Mr Kyari said the portfolio focuses on tomato, cassava, maize, dairy and fisheries, backed by $1.75 billion public and $1.39 billion private investments.

This, he said, will benefit over 4.1 million Nigerians, raise incomes by up to $657, and deliver strong returns with an average internal rate of return (IRR) of 14.2 per cent.

“With vast farmland, irrigation potential, a market of 230m+, and clear incentives, Nigeria is ready for bankable agribusiness investments that will secure food, jobs and growth,” he said.

The FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative is a country-led programme to accelerate agricultural transformation and rural development to end poverty (SDG 1) and hunger (SDG 2).

Under this initiative, the FAO deploys the use of data and evidence to identify priority areas with the highest poverty and hunger, and then matches countries with donors, private sector organisations, and financial institutions to mobilise investments for sustainable agri-food systems and inclusive growth.

Also, the initiative employs a robust matchmaking process and features an award-winning geospatial platform and data lab to support these goals.

“Investment breakdown”

On Wednesday, Mr Kyari explained that the tomato programme alone is estimated at $869 million and will cover 72,000 hectares in Kano, Bauchi, and Borno States.

He noted that the aim is to cut post-harvest losses, increase yields up to 30 tonnes per hectare, and benefit 36,000 farmers, and that the investment is projected to generate an IRR of 12.5 per cent and a net present value (NPV) of $171 million.

For cassava, Nigeria is seeking $382 million to expand productivity across 207,000 hectares in Ogun, Oyo, and Anambra, the statement said.

It said the initiative will directly benefit 45,000 farmers, set up 375 processing units, and reduce the nation’s import dependence on starch and high-quality flour. Additionally, it said the cassava portfolio is expected to deliver an IRR of 15.2 per cent and NPV of $187.7 million.

The statement indicated that the largest share of the investment will be allocated to the maize value chain, with $1 billion planned across one million hectares in Katsina, Kaduna, and Oyo states.

According to the Minister, the maize programme is expected to help close Nigeria’s five million metric tonne production gap, directly impacting 420,000 farmers, and indirectly benefiting nearly three million people.

“The financial outlook for maize shows an IRR of 18.7 per cent and an NPV of $75.6 million,” the statement said.

Officials emphasised that the planned investments would stimulate food security, industrial growth, and regional exports, while also creating resilient livelihoods and sustainable development opportunities for millions of Nigerians.

By Abdulkareem Mojeed, Premium Times

Nigerian chef breaks world record for largest jollof rice dish

 

Nigerian chef Hilda Baci has broken the world record for cooking the largest ever pot of jollof rice in Lagos last week.

Guinness World Records (GWR) confirmed the achievement on social media, saying Ms Baci's concoction of the popular West African dish weighed in at a staggering 8,780kg.

After nine hours of cooking, the effort was almost thrown into jeopardy after the giant pot used to make the dish broke as it was being hoisted onto a crane to be weighed - thankfully, none of the rice was spilled.

Ms Baci celebrated the triumph by thanking her team and supporters: "This moment isn't just mine... it belongs to all of us."

Despite the massive pot buckling twice during its weigh-in, a member of Baci's team told the BBC last week they were collecting evidence from different cameras to send to GWR so it could be officially recognised.

Baci paid tribute to the "tireless team" that made the achievement possible and shared a video of her reacting to the news on social media.

"This Guinness World Record was built on unity, love, and collective strength," she wrote.

"We made history together, for Nigeria, for Africa, and for everyone who believes in the power of food to bring us closer - this win is yours too."

Baci's recipe for the crowning jollof dish included 4,000kg of rice, 500 cartons of tomato paste, 600kg of onions and 168kg of goat meat - all poured into a custom-made pot that can hold 23,000 litres.

Last week, thousands of people had gathered to watch Baci's latest world record bid - in 2023 she held the title for the longest cooking marathon at nearly four days.

Their support was well rewarded as the mammoth dish later divided into individual portions and distributed to the huge crowd and passersby.

The chef previously told BBC Pidgin that it took her a year to plan how she would tackle the mammoth challenge.

"We [Nigerians] are the giant of Africa, and jollof is a food that everybody knows Africans for," she said.

"It would make sense if we had the biggest pot of jollof rice, it would be nice for the country."

She was assisted by 10 other chefs in red uniforms wielding long wooden spoons to stir the food.

Manufacturing the giant steel vessel to hold her dish took a team of 300 people two months to make but one of its legs gave way at the crucial time.

Jollof rice is a staple in several West African countries, featuring rice simmered in a tomato sauce, often paired with meat or seafood.

Baci won a competition for her version of jollof rice in 2021, and then became a national sensation in 2023 when she claimed the world cooking marathon record - an exhausting 93 hours and 11 minutes.

However, she was later surpassed by Irish chef Alan Fisher. The current record-holder is Evette Quoibia from Australia, with 140 hours and 11 minutes, according to GWR.

Yang Tian and Faith Oshoko, BBC

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CGTN Africa

Video - Lagos launches major food security drive

Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, has launched a $327 million "Produce for Lagos" initiative, to cut food waste and boost local supply. The program links farmers across Nigeria directly to Lagos markets with improved logistics and guaranteed offtake. Authorities hope it will reduce post-harvest losses, cut import reliance, while creating thousands of jobs.

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US aid cuts see millions go hungry in Nigeria, as jihadists surge

Resurgent jihadist attacks, huge cuts in foreign aid and a spiralling cost of living: hunger is looming in northeastern Nigeria, where more than a million people face starvation.

Before insurgency upended daily life, Damboa was a regional farming hub. Today it stands on the frontline of survival.

Located around 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Borno state capital Maiduguri, the town lies on the fringes of the Sambisa forest, a game reserve turned jihadist enclave.

While Nigeria‘s 16-year-old insurgency has slowed since violence peaked around 2015, attacks have picked up since the beginning of the year due to a myriad of factors that saw jihadist groups strengthen and security forces stretched thin.

Almata Modu, 25, joined thousands of others fleeing the countryside into town in May, after jihadists overran her village. Rations are already meagre – and set to run out as Western aid dries up.

“We are safe, but the food is not enough,” Modu says, wearing a purple hijab, approaching an aid distribution centre in a police station.

Aminata Adamu, 36, agrees. She fled her home a decade ago and receives monthly rations for four registered family members – even though the family has since grown to 11.

‘Lives will be lost’

The limited food will soon run out by the end of July as Western aid cuts – including President Donald Trump‘s dismantling of the US Agency for International Development – send humanitarian programmes into a tailspin.

“This is our last rice from USAID,” says Chi Lael, Nigeria spokeswoman for the World Food Programme, pointing at a stack of white bags at another distribution centre in Mafa, around 150 kilometres from Damboa.

There are five million “severely hungry” people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states – the three worst affected by the jihadist insurgency waged by Boko Haram and rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

WFP has until now only been able to feed 1.3 million who now face starvation as food handouts run out. “There is no food left in the warehouses,” says Lael. “Lives will be lost.”

The timing couldn’t be worse. June to September is known as the “lean season”, the time between planting and harvest when families have little food reserves.

Normally, rural farmers would buy food – but amid mass inflation from an economic crisis, coupled with forced displacement, many “can’t afford much”, says Diana Japaridze, of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Flying into Damboa shows vast swathes of farmland, abandoned because of the violence. The IS-aligned ISWAP has become better organised.

Concurrently, the Niger-Nigeria counter-terrorism collaboration has been strained as the military is stretched thin by a separate banditry crisis and an economic crunch has stiffened rural grievances that such groups feed off, according to analysts.

A farmer was killed in his field just days ago, residents said.

Meanwhile, Damboa has the highest and most severe cases of malnutrition among children under five years in northeast Nigeria, said Kevin Akwawa, a doctor with the International Medical Corps.

150 nutrition centres shutting down

Fanna Abdulraman, 39, mother of eight, brought her six-month-old, severely malnourished twins to a nutrition centre.

She latched them to her breasts but, malnourished herself, she can’t produce milk.

Of the 500 nutrition centres that the WFP operates in northeast Nigeria, 150 are to be shut at the end of July due to shortage of funding. That leaves the lives of some 300,000 children at risk, according to WFP nutrition officer Dr John Ala.

Two imposing banners bearing the trademark blue-and-red USAID logo still hang on the front gate, where stocks will soon run out.

A sign of the insecurity in the area, everyone entering the centre is frisked with a handheld metal detector. Looming food shortages threaten to make matters worse.

“When you see food insecurity, poverty, the next thing… is more insecurity, because people will resort to very terrible coping mechanisms to survive,” Ala said.

Across the country a record nearly 31 million people face acute hunger, according to David Stevenson, WFP chief in Nigeria.

With WFP operations collapsing in northeast Nigeria, “this is no longer just a humanitarian crisis, it’s a growing threat to regional stability”, said Stevenson.

Fanna Mohammed, a 30-year-old mother of nine, was oblivious food aid and child nutrition treatment will soon end.

“I can’t imagine that we will live,” she said when she found out, an eight-month-old strapped on her back, a two-year-old shyly fidgeting next to her.

In a June-to-September outlook report, the WFP and Food and Agriculture Organization warn “critical levels of acute food insecurity are expected to deteriorate” as the conflict intensifies, economic hardships persist and floods are expected.

Despite the desperate need for more food, only a few farmers dare to venture out.

They tend their fields under the protection of armed militias, stationed a few kilometres apart along the Maiduguri-Mafa highway.

AFP

Video - Experts call for overhaul of Nigeria meat supply chain to boost food security

West African countries, including Nigeria, spend over $3 billion annually on meat imports, primarily from Argentina and Australia, despite local producers' capacity to meet demand. This dependence has fueled food insecurity and drained foreign reserves. Afreximbank is urging increased investment in local meat value chains, with experts advocating for a strategic overhaul of the region’s meat supply system.

CGTN

Video - UN report issues a food insecurity warning for Nigeria

A new UN report labeled Nigeria as one of five African hunger hotspots where food insecurity is predicted to worsen through October. This situation has been attributed to insecurity and weak land rights, both of which hinder food production.

CGTN

Video - Nigeria, FAO back on $135,000 injection to boost aquaculture

Nigeria, in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, is investing approximately $135,000 into the aquaculture sector. The initiative will support 40 small- and medium-sized fish farms, aiming to boost local fish production and reduce the country's $1.2 billion fish import costs.

CGTN

Video - Nigerian street vendors in the spotlight

World Food Safety Day is gaining importance in Nigeria, where street vendors play a vital role in feeding millions. In Lagos, they are a familiar sight on almost every main street, catering to diverse food needs. However, in this largely unregulated sector, concerns about health and safety remain prevalent.

CGTN

Nigeria seeks to boost cocoa exports as oil falters

 

Almost four decades after Nigeria dispensed with a cocoa-industry regulatory board in 1986, a new executive bill is working its way to the legislature to create a replacement. By the time it was scrapped, the cocoa marketing board, which fixed prices and regulated other industry practices, was so hated by farmers that it was seen as the primary obstacle to their progress.

Thirty-nine years later, the government is preparing for the launch of a new regulatory body. On 5 May agriculture minister Abubakar Kyari announced that President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet has approved a draft bill to create a National Cocoa Management Board that will have responsibility for regulating the industry, but without the power to fix prices.

“With this new framework, we will be competing directly with top global producers like Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire,” said Kyari.

For President Bola Tinubu’s government, this is a chance to boost the potential of an industry that has broken several price records in recent years, with prices rising 400% in three years to reach $12,000 per ton at point. The value of cocoa exports from Nigeria jumped more than sevenfold between 2023 and 2024 to 2.7 trillion naira ($1.7bn), driven by higher demand and naira depreciation. Cocoa thus offers Nigeria a viable opportunity to diversify away from faltering oil exports.

The Tinubu administration based its 2025 budget of 54.9 trillion naira on a daily oil output of 2.06m barrels of crude sold at $75 per barrel. While the year started with a January production of 1.53m barrels per day, it has remained below that number in the subsequent months, with prices closer to $60 a barrel. Thoughts are therefore turning to cocoa as a potential driver of export earnings.

Demands for better traceability

Though Nigerian cocoa farmers and the industry in general have enjoyed the freedom to set prices, Nigerian-origin cocoa has sometimes been sold at a discount due to quality inconsistency, an indicator of variable industry standards. But recent global developments demanding sustainable and ethical practices, particularly the introduction of the European Union Deforestation Regulation, made regulated standards a necessity.

The Regulation, passed by the European Parliament in 2023, requires all exporters of agricultural commodities to the EU to provide evidence that the crop is grown sustainably and is not causing deforestation. It requires that agricultural exports be traceable to where they are grown – and this requirement has made a regulator essential, according to Adeola Adegoke, president of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria. “The Nigerian cocoa industry cannot continue to be on autopilot,” said Adegoke. “There must be a deliberate plan to reposition it in order to regain the lost glory of the cocoa economy.” Nigeria slipped from its leadership in cocoa production as oil became the mainstay of the economy from the 1970s, and agricultural exports were sidelined by successive governments.

More support needed for farmers

In recent years, the trade has suffered from an absence of incentives and government support, especially in the years in which farmers were threatened by price volatility, said Adegoke. The major assignment of the board will be to fill that gap, he said.

The move toward a new board started with the establishment of the National Cocoa Management Committee in August 2022. Made up of industry stakeholders and officials of the agriculture ministry, its primary task was to devise measures for the revitalisation of cocoa as a major export commodity.

The committee identified significant challenges, such as difficulties in dealing with cocoa pests and diseases, a growing preponderance of ageing plantations and farmers, lack of finance and the absence of national regulation.

In the draft bill, the National Cocoa Management Committee will be converted into the National Cocoa Management Board to tackle the identified problems facing the industry.

High prices bring opportunities

The more than threefold increase in cocoa prices between 2023 and 2024 seems to have been a wake-up call for the government. Nigeria has ranked fifth in recent years among global cocoa producers, behind Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ecuador and Cameroon. While the two top producers, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, suffered significant output shortfalls due to unfavourable weather, Nigeria, which had a better crop, lacked the output scale to make the most of the opportunity.

Still, the country produced more than 300,000 tons of the crop in the 2023-24 season. Some expect an even better harvest in the current season due to improved weather. The government is keen to capitalise on this.

Prices for cocoa futures have started retreating from their record levels, and were ranging between $7,844 and $8,415 per ton in March, according to a market assessment published on 11 April by the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).

Weighing on the market were weakening demand and an expectation that most of the West African producers, who account for 70% of global production, will have a better season than the 2023-24 season. The current season is the first in three years in which the ICCO is expecting a production surplus. But it is unlikely to result in a wholesale reset of prices, given the vagaries of the supply chain.

Indeed, with hedge funds betting on cocoa futures and driving the record prices of recent years, younger people in Nigeria are beginning to see a future in cocoa farms. Some are establishing new farms and planting early-maturing varieties that yield pods within three years, according to officials at the Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN).

Yet, even while the government has been applauded for initiating the return of an industry board, some stakeholders have their misgivings.

Sayanna Riman, a cocoa farmer and a former president of the CAN, which groups farmers, buyers and processors, says that a board could lead to creeping government interference that ultimately may not be in the interest of farmers. What the industry needs, rather than an interfering body, Riman says, is more sensitivity to the challenges that farmers face and targeted support to help them make the most of the era of high prices. “What the cocoa industry needs is investments and more standardisation,” Riman concludes.

By Dulue Mbachu, African Business

Video - ‘Tomato Ebola’ ravages Nigeria’s farms

Nigeria is facing a severe agricultural crisis as the "Tomato Ebola" pest, the Tuta absoluta, devastates key tomato-producing regions, causing massive losses estimated at over $800,000. As a result, both tomato traders and consumers are feeling the financial strain, with prices soaring and the nation's annual tomato supply falling short of demand.

CGTN

Video - Aid cuts deepen malnutrition crisis in northeast Nigeria

Foreign aid reductions are severely impacting humanitarian operations in northeastern Nigeria. Key NGOs, including Mercy Corps, shut down nutrition programs, leaving mothers without critical support for malnourished children.

CGTN