Agriculture

Obasanjo Advocates for Continuity in Policies to Achieve Food Security in Africa

Written by Jerry Alomatu on October 25, 2024

News Views: 409

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has attributed the challenges facing food security in Africa to a lack of continuity and frequent changes in policy. Speaking at the unveiling of Okun Rice in Asero, Abeokuta, on Thursday, he emphasized that the government should focus on creating an environment conducive for the private sector to thrive rather than directly involving itself in production.

Obasanjo highlighted that the continent’s current hunger crisis could have been mitigated if there had been a sustained commitment to developmental and agricultural initiatives. He expressed concern over successive governments’ failure to foster a culture of continuity, which he believes has negatively impacted food production and agricultural practices.

“Part of our problem in Nigeria and Africa as a whole is lack of continuity and this is very bad for every development at family level, state level, national level, and continental,” Obasanjo remarked. He criticized the tendency to claim that certain achievements are being accomplished “for the first time,” suggesting that many of these initiatives had been attempted in the past but were abandoned.

Obasanjo reiterated that the primary role of government should be to provide the necessary conditions for agricultural production to flourish. “For us to achieve increased food production and food sufficiency at the state, national, and continental levels, the government must be ready to provide the enabling environment and ensure continuity of agricultural policies to enhance food production,” he stated.

He commended Dr. Biodun Onalaja, CEO of Hyst Global Business Limited, for his dedication to local rice production and urged him to support local rice farmers. Onalaja praised Obasanjo’s leadership in promoting food production, noting that the Okun Rice Mill is poised to produce 100 metric tonnes of high-quality rice daily.

The Okun Rice is set to be available for purchase by mid-November, and Onalaja encouraged local farmers to bring their paddy rice for processing. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Bolu Owotomo, reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting agricultural enterprises and creating a favorable environment for farmers and investors to thrive.