By Sandra Kenneth
The Federal Government has reiterated its determination to address national food insecurity and rising unemployment by leveraging targeted agricultural investments and livestock development strategies.
Speaking on Monday at the second International Conference of the Agrifood Systems Stakeholders Forum held at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, declared that expanding livestock and general agriculture remains central to the administration’s economic recovery plan.
Maiha, represented at the event by Victor Egbon, Director of Ruminant and Monogastric Development, commended the conference organizer—the Agricultural Policy Research Network (APRNet)—for bringing key players together to tackle poverty, food shortages, and youth unemployment.
Addressing delegates, the minister emphasized the urgency of stakeholder collaboration to push forward the government’s coordinated national livestock development agenda, noting that the sector offers immediate opportunities to boost output, create sustainable jobs, and restore public confidence.
“Our agrifood systems are under growing pressure from climate variability, flooding, drought, land degradation, and rising input costs,” Maiha stated. He also highlighted pressing structural hurdles, including animal diseases, severe post-harvest losses, weak market linkages, and restricted access to capital.
Despite these hurdles, Maiha pointed to lucrative investment potential across the livestock value chain—ranging from feed manufacturing, hatcheries, and dairy collection to animal healthcare, processing, logistics, and waste-to-wealth enterprises.
In his opening address, UNIPORT Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Princewill Chike, highlighted agriculture as a critical defense against brain drain and youth emigration, commonly referenced as the ‘Japa’ phenomenon.
“Migration continues to accelerate brain drain and drag down economic growth across Africa,” Chike noted, urging policymakers to make farming and agribusiness lucrative enough to retain young local talent.
Also speaking, APRNet President and Conference Coordinator, Prof. Anthony Onoja, explained that the forum aims to bridge academic research with practical policy solutions to resolve low farm yields, climate vulnerability, and agrarian conflicts.
The international conference drew backing from key development partners, including the European Union (EU) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
