At the United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Nigeria joined other African nations and the United Nations in calling for unified action to address food insecurity across the continent and beyond.
Leaders emphasized the need for predictable concessionary financing to support agriculture, infrastructure, rural transformation, and education.
They also stressed the necessity of aligning climate finance with food systems.
Nigeria’s Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, addressed the summit, highlighting the country’s efforts to modernize its agricultural sector through emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), geospatial analytics, and satellite-driven climate intelligence.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution has not only disrupted the old order but gifted us instruments that were once confined to the imagination.
Artificial Intelligence, geospatial analytics and satellite-driven climate intelligence are now part of our agricultural vocabulary,” Shettima said. He explained that these tools are being used to monitor agricultural production, improve transparency, connect producers to markets, and reduce waste.
Shettima urged summit participants to move beyond diplomatic gestures and commit to real solutions for food insecurity. “A broken food system in any part of the world diminishes the dignity of humanity as a whole. Let us rise with a shared purpose. Let us build a world where no child sleeps on an empty stomach, where no farmer is forgotten, and where food is not a luxury but a human right,” he stated.
He further outlined Nigeria’s recent reforms, including its National Food Systems Transformation Pathway. This plan has triggered targeted investments in infrastructure and capacity-building. He also emphasized that the declaration of a national emergency on food security in Nigeria has led to tangible actions. “It’s the reason we are advancing the Presidential Initiative on Food Security, a mission designed to upscale the cultivation of vital staples- maize, rice, cassava and wheat,” he said. According to Shettima, these efforts are supported by climate-smart innovations, financial inclusion for smallholder farmers, and an expansion of extension services tailored especially to women and youth.
The vice-president also pointed to the establishment of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones in collaboration with the African Development Bank and IFAD. He said these zones are not merely production hubs but engines of transformation. “They are creating jobs, attracting private capital, and linking rural producers to national and global markets. Our faith in the capacity of our people remains unshaken. But production is not enough. We believe that a sustainable food system must also be a healthy one,” Shettima added.
Concluding his remarks, Shettima conveyed gratitude on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian people to the host nations, Ethiopia and Italy. “Nigeria is ready to listen. Nigeria is ready to learn. Nigeria is ready to lead wherever leadership is required. We are here to champion food systems that are resilient in the face of climate shocks, responsive to nutritional needs, and rooted in local realities. We are here because we believe that the arc of history does not only bend towards justice, it bends towards food justice,” he said.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed described the summit as a time for reflection and renewed commitment to building resilient and inclusive food systems. He echoed the call for predictable concession financing and emphasized the link between hunger and environmental degradation. “Globally, food systems are facing immense pressure from planning stock, shocks, conflicts, inequalities and economic destruction. At the same time, development assistance has declined in multilateral cooperation. These challenges threatened production, supply and dignity in the subregion nations,” Ahmed noted. He said Ethiopia had adopted a comprehensive roadmap for food system transformation following the 2021 summit.
“Yet, in this context, the human spirit and our shared resolve to act remain strong. In Ethiopia, we have made a deliberate choice to act boldly, to think holistically and to place human dignity at the centre of our food system transformation. We are investing in local production, reducing dependency on imports and building a resilient system that serves our people and our future,” the Prime Minister said.
In a pre-recorded message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that food systems extend beyond nutrition to touch on climate, justice, and human rights. “Since the last food summit, we have seen progress. We are committed to food systems that are inclusive, sustainable, equitable, resilient and built on human rights, but progress is not fair enough. Global hunger is rising, and threats, shocks are pushing the prices of food,” Guterres stated. He described the food crisis in Africa as one rooted in justice and equity, not merely scarcity. “Climate change is destroying harvests, supply chains and humanitarian response,” he warned.
