There is a thin line between hunger and insecurity; in fact, one has always been a function of the other, meaning that once you effectively address one the other is as good as also taken care, Mr Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last year’s presidential election has argued.
Accordingly, he has urged African nations to prioritise investment in agriculture as a sure way of tackling hunger and insecurity in Africa.
The former Governor of Anambra expressed this view yesterday, Friday, September 6, while speaking as a panellist at an international conference on food security in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.
Writing on his X handle, Obi argued that the hunger crisis in Africa could only be effectively tackled by giving adequate attention to agriculture, explaining that reducing reliance on food imports will help ease the strain on national currencies (inthe Naira in Nigeria’s case), stabilize the exchange rates, and rein in inflationary pressures driven by high food costs.
“Today (yesterday), I was one of the panellists at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 held in the Rwandan capital, Kigali,” Obi wrote on his ex-handle. “At the session, I reiterated my long-held position that food insecurity in Africa is intrinsically linked to human insecurity.
“Using Nigeria as an example, I emphasized that solving food insecurity is a major path to general security in the country.
“By investing in agriculture and food-related productivity, Nigeria will not only be addressing the hunger crisis but will also create huge job opportunities for the teeming unemployed population, especially the youths in their productive age (thereby weaning them away from ignoble criminlalites),” he said.
Stressing the need to further explore the untapped potential in food production in Nigeria and other African countries, Obi, the national leader of the Labour Party (LP), cited some telling examples to buttress his point.
“Bangladesh, with approximately 148,000 square kilometres, less than 1/6th of Nigeria’s about 923,768 square kilometres of arable land, produces 35-40 million tonnes of rice annually,” he noted.
“In contrast, Nigeria produces only 3-4 million tonnes of rice, which is roughly 10% of Bangladesh’s rice production.
“This disparity, which is similar to the African situation, highlights the untapped potential of Africa’s agricultural sector, and underscores the need for investment.”
“Food insecurity, if addressed properly in Africa, can be a catalyst for enhancing human security and promoting overall development,” he emphasized.
According to Mr. Obi, with significant investments in agriculture and food systems, Nigeria, indeed Africa, could create jobs, reduce poverty, and tackle hunger simultaneously.
