ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has called on the federal and state governments to significantly increase budgetary allocations to the agricultural sector, thereby enhancing food production and strengthening livelihoods across the country.
The call was made by AAN’s Deputy Country Director, Suwaiba Dankabo, during her welcome and opening remarks at the closeout learning meeting of the Scaling Up of Public Investments in Agriculture (SUPIA II) Project, held in Abuja.
Dankabo explained that the SUPIA II Project, implemented by ActionAid Nigeria in partnership with ActionAid International, was aimed at promoting stronger political commitment and increased public investment in agriculture to drive inclusive and sustainable transformation at state, national, and continental levels.
She noted that the project, which ran from July 2022 to December 2025, was implemented at the national level and in eight focal states, Bauchi, Gombe, Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, Ebonyi, and Delta, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to her, a key focus of SUPIA II was improving the productivity, livelihoods, and overall well-being of smallholder women farmers through advocacy for increased, inclusive, and gender-responsive public investment in agriculture.
Dankabo said the project recorded notable milestones through strategic engagement with federal and state governments, regional and continental institutions, civil society organizations, and farmer networks.
She described the closeout meeting as an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned, share best practices, and identify pathways for sustaining and scaling the gains achieved under the project, particularly for women, young people, and persons with disabilities.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the International Project Manager of SUPIA at ActionAid International, Constance Okeke, acknowledged improvements in the prioritization of agriculture by the government but urged states to further upscale investments and ensure that funds reach real farmers.
Okeke noted that although budgetary allocations to agriculture have increased over time, they still fall short of the 10 per cent benchmark, stressing that policies must translate into concrete actions.
She added that the project helped bridge the gap between smallholder farmers and government institutions, enabling women farmers to engage directly with ministries and access inputs, training, credit opportunities and, in some cases, land.
Also speaking, AAN’s Food Systems Specialist, Azubike Nwokoye, emphasised the need for sustained increases in budgetary allocations and improvements in the quality of public expenditure, particularly the timely release of funds, to ensure effective implementation of agricultural programmes.
In her remarks, the Coordinator of the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria (SWOFON), Comfort Sunday, said the SUPIA Project had improved the businesses of women farmers in the FCT and enhanced their recognition as key stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
However, she appealed to the government for timely budget releases to align farming activities with planting seasons, increased deployment of extension officers, and improved security to protect farmers from attacks by terrorists and bandits.
She said addressing these challenges would enable women farmers to plan effectively and contribute more meaningfully to national food security.
(Tribune)
