The United Kingdom has projected that Nigeria and other African countries may for a very long time experience high food prices and food insecurity, saying issues with farm inputs, especially fertiliser and water, is going to be prolonged.
The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Russia and Ukraine, the rising cost of fertilisers, and the effects of climate change on food production were all blamed for the food crisis situation in Africa.
In a keynote speech at the Feed Nigeria Summit, UK Ambassador to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, mentioned a number of factors that could affect long-term food security, including energy prices, restrictions on the export of fertilisers, the COVID-19 pandemic and its disruption of supply chains, the ongoing war in Russia and Ukraine, and the covid-19 pandemic.
The UK representative emphasised the need to step up efforts to transition Africa from being dependent on the rest of the world for food to self-sufficiency, noting that Africa has been the region hardest hit by the global food crisis.
The Director of the UK Department of International Trade’s Africa Agric, David Burton, who was the high commissioner’s representative, added that between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of the country’s currently farmed land will become unusable due to climate change, which has a negative impact on Nigeria’s ability to fully maximize its agricultural sector.
He said: “That is why the UK is investing £95 million through a new Propcom+ programme to support climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture in Nigeria. Propcom+ will support more than four million people to adopt and scale sustainable agricultural practices – such as improved climate-resilient seed varieties and integrated soil fertility management – that increase productivity and resilience, reduce emissions, and protect natural ecosystems.”
The UK envoy emphasised the need for funding, investments, and official development assistance to boost food production and address the insecurity in order to address the nation’s current food crisis challenge.
