West and Central Africa are ramping up initiatives to attain wheat self-sufficiency, highlighted by the Second Regional Summit on Wheat Production taking place in Abuja on October 2-3, 2024.
This summit gathers representatives from several nations, including Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad, to address the urgent requirement for heightened regional agricultural capabilities.
During a pre-summit press briefing in Abuja, the Regional Coordinator of West and Central Africa Wheat, Prof. Benjamin Ubi, emphasized the necessity for strategic policy implementation. “This gathering marks a crucial milestone in our collective efforts to promote food security and economic growth in our region,” he stated.
Nigeria currently imports around six million metric tonnes of wheat annually, costing approximately $3 billion. Ubi suggested that reallocating half of this expenditure towards research and development could significantly bolster local wheat production and even pave the way for exports.
He noted that recent geopolitical tensions, especially the Russia-Ukraine conflict, have underscored vulnerabilities in global food supply chains. Ubi called for regional collaboration to mitigate these risks and ensure food sovereignty.
He urged for the implementation of national wheat strategies throughout the region. Baba-Gana Kabir, Executive Director of the Lake Chad Research Institute, echoed the need for governmental backing of agricultural initiatives. “The Federal Government of Nigeria has expressed commitment to reducing food importation and achieving self-sufficiency in food production. We urge them to expedite the execution of the wheat roadmap and enhance our research efforts,” he remarked.
Kabir emphasized several key actions necessary for success, including the creation of a robust extension system to disseminate research findings to farmers, increased mechanization to enhance efficiency, and better funding for agricultural research. “To achieve self-sufficiency in wheat production, we need a robust extension system,” he concluded.
