By: Odeh Favour Adiya
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling food shortages and youth unemployment across the country through aggressive investments in agriculture and livestock development.
Speaking on Monday at the second International Conference of the Agrifood Systems Stakeholders Forum held at the University of Port Harcourt, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, pledged the government’s resolve to revamp the sector. The event was organized by the Agricultural Policy Research Network (APRNet) to address food insecurity, poverty, and unemployment.
Maiha, who was represented by the Director of Ruminant and Monogastric Development, Victor Egbon, commended APRNet for pulling together the conference. He noted that the national livestock development agenda remains a priority that requires coordinated efforts from all sector players.
According to him, the strategy will boost overall farm productivity, generate employment opportunities, and restore public confidence in agriculture.
Acknowledging the persistent bottlenecks hindering agricultural expansion, Maiha stated that the Federal Government is actively stepping up to bridge gaps in skills, funding, market access, and critical infrastructure.
Highlighting the environmental and economic threats facing food production, the minister warned, “Our agrifood systems are under growing pressure from climate variability, flooding, drought, land degradation and rising input costs.”
He listed additional hurdles including animal diseases, heavy post-harvest losses, weak market linkages, and restricted access to capital for local farmers.
Despite these obstacles, Maiha emphasized the strong potential embedded in agribusiness, saying, “Within these challenges lies a compelling opportunity to build agrifood systems that are more productive, inclusive and climate-resilient, while creating decent jobs for women and young people.”
He underscored the untapped wealth in the livestock value chain, specifically calling attention to commercial feed production, hatcheries, and milk processing networks.
The minister added that animal health services, storage, processing, logistics, and waste-to-wealth enterprises remained viable investment opportunities that were yet to be fully harnessed.
Also addressing participants, the Vice-Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Princewill Chike, described agriculture as a major antidote to brain drain and youth migration. He noted that unchecked brain drain continues to slow down economic momentum across the African continent.
Stressing the urgency of rural and agricultural transformation, Chike declared, “The government and policymakers must make agriculture more attractive to youths to address the ‘Japa’ syndrome.”
The Vice-Chancellor commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for prioritizing agricultural development and urged policymakers to guarantee long-term consistency in sector initiatives.
In his opening remarks, the President and Conference Coordinator of APRNet, Prof. Anthony Onoja, expressed gratitude to development partners for backing the event.
Onoja, a lecturer in UNIPORT’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management, reiterated the need for synergy between academia and government to combat hunger. He explained that the gathering aimed to translate theoretical research into actionable, policy-driven interventions.
Highlighting the targets of the gathering, Onoja said, “This meeting is expected to provide sustainable solutions to low farm productivity, build resilience against rising climate issues and address conflict in the country.”
The conference enjoyed institutional support from the Federal Government, the European Union, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), among other key global agencies.
