By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Permanent Secretary, Budget and Planning, Engr. Nebolisa Anako has identified food insecurity, malnutrition as well as climate change as factors responsible for lower incomes and higher prices of foods in the Country.

The Permanent Secretary who spoke at a workshop on the implementation Strategy for the Nigerian food systems transformation Pathways (NFSTP) in Abuja on Wednesday said this has seriously put food out of the reach of many Nigerians.

He said, “It is suffices to say that food insecurity and malnutrition as well as the influence of climate change has resulted in lower incomes and higher prices of foods”.

“This has indeed put food out of the reach of many and undermining the right to food thereby stalling the efforts to meeting the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: that emphasized ‘zero hunger'”.

Anako who was represented by Dr Zakari Lawani, the Director National Monitoring and Evaluation in the ministry, described the ongoing programme as a call to action to achieving progress in dealing with issues of poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease, unemployment, conflict and changing weather patterns.

He further stated that the journey of Food Systems Dialogues in Nigeria started in January, 2021 with Nigeria responding to the call by the Secretary General of the United Nations that countries should look inward and organise different levels of dialogue to identify issues and challenges around the Food Systems and come up with sustainable innovative strategies towards ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition in line with SDGs.

He called on all relevant Stakeholders including Government at all levels, Developmental Organisations to support the implementation of all the priority actions with the 2022 call to Action as well as mobilise more resources and monitor progress.

In his remarks, the National Convernor of food System Dialogues who is also Director, Social Development Department, Budget and Planning, Dr. Sanjo Faniran, disclosed that a Committee, 2023 Task Team has been constituted to provide technical support to the development of the 2023 coated Action Plan to enable Nigeria to produce credible Country Report at the Global stock-taking scheduled to hold in Rome in July, 2023.

He informed that a Steering Committee for the implementation of the Food Systems Transformation Pathways at the State levels would soon be inaugurated and will comprise, the Permanent Secretaries of Economic Planning and Agriculture; Permanent Secretaries of Budget and National Planning and Federal Ministry of Agriculture as well as DG Govenors Forum.

The Committee which will be co-chaired by the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning and FAO Country Representative in Nigeria is expected to provide leadership and advisory support to the implementation at State level.

He was optimistic the that the workshop will serve as a springboard that will lead to effective implementation of the priority actions in the Food Systems
Transformation Pathways for Nigeria.