Nigeria has unveiled a comprehensive macro-strategy that places food security at the centre of national stability, inflation control and regional cohesion, with Vice President Kashim Shettima declaring that the country no longer treats the issue as a purely agricultural concern.
Speaking at a high-level panel titled “When Food Becomes Security” at the Congress Centre during the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Shettima said the Federal Government has adopted a multi-dimensional agricultural and economic approach aimed at shielding the country from global shocks while restoring productivity in key food-producing regions.
According to him, food security in Nigeria is now viewed as a macroeconomic, security and governance priority.
“In Nigeria, we don’t look at food security purely as an agricultural issue. It is a macroeconomic, security and governance issue. Our focus is to use food security as a pillar for national security, regional cohesion and stability,” the Vice President said.
Shettima explained that the government’s food security strategy is built on three pillars: boosting food production, ensuring environmental sustainability and deepening regional integration within West Africa.
He noted that global supply-chain disruptions and shifting economic realities have made it imperative for Nigeria to rebuild resilient food systems adapted to its diverse ecological zones.
“Nigeria is a very large country, and there is a close relationship between economy and ecology. In the Sahelian North, we are dealing with desertification, deforestation and drought, while in the riverine South and parts of the North Central, flooding remains our biggest challenge,” he said.
To address these challenges, the Vice President said the government is promoting drought-resistant, flood-tolerant and early-maturing crop varieties, including rice, sorghum and millet. He added that food systems in flood-prone southern regions are being redesigned to better withstand climate-related shocks.
Security, he said, remains a major constraint to food production, as many of Nigeria’s conflict-affected areas also serve as key agricultural zones.
“Most of the food baskets of our nation are security-challenged. That is why we are creating food security corridors and strengthening community-based security arrangements to enable farmers return safely to their land,” Shettima stated.
He also disclosed the launch of the Back to the Farm Initiative, a programme designed to resettle displaced farmers by providing inputs, insurance and access to capital to help them resume production.
Addressing macroeconomic vulnerabilities, the Vice President identified heavy import dependence and foreign exchange volatility as major contributors to food inflation.
“We largely import wheat, sugar and dairy products, and this directly fuels inflation. Our strategy is to fast-track local production and promote alternatives such as sorghum, millet and cassava flour to correct these structural imbalances,” he said.
Shettima stressed that positioning agriculture as a frontline response to economic and security challenges aligns food security with inflation control, national stability and regional cooperation.
He added that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, Nigeria has begun a decisive shift toward making agriculture commercially viable, expressing confidence that within the next year, smallholder farmers and fishers would become investable at scale.
According to him, the renewed focus signals a broader effort to transform agriculture into a foundation for sustainable growth, economic resilience and long-term national security.
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