About Niger Delta Food Security Summit

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Introduction

 The Youth in a country represents the most active segment of the population and the engine room of its productivity. This is why integrating this group of the population into the socio-economic and political agenda or program is considered pivotal for development initiative anywhere in the world. A large number of this category of people are either in schools or engaged as artisans or traders while a larger proportion remains unemployed. The majority of these unemployed youths have their eyes on getting paid jobs, especially white collar jobs, which are mostly non-existent. Over the years, successive governments have initiated various programs such as the National Program for Food Security, National Fadama Development Project, Agricultural Transformation Support Programme, Value Chain Development Project, Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise Programme for Niger Delta, Special Agricultural Processing Zones and many others as part of efforts to encourage youths to embrace agriculture with little or no success as majority of the youths in the country has maintained a negative attitude towards

Background

 Before oil was discovered in commercial quantity in 1951, agriculture was the mainstay of the economy of most, if not all the States in the Niger Delta region. However, the oil boom in the early 1970’s accelerated the diversification of the region’s economy from agriculture to oil thereby causing a mass exodus of farm labour for blue collar jobs. Currently, Nigeria and especially the Niger Delta region is witnessing the attendant consequences of this neglect on the economy, as oil (which is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy) is experiencing a decline in production leading to the inability of the government to fulfill its obligations to the people. It is an established fact that agriculture is one veritable tool to address the challenge posed by unemployment in the country and the current downturn in the economy occasioned by dwindling revenue has further strengthened the drive to make agriculture the power house of regional and national development. A paradigm shift in Agriculture through its commercialization has become imperative due to the fact that for far too long agriculture and farming has been practiced by farmers in the Niger Delta on a subsistence level. At this subsistence level, there has been shrinking and depleted farm size, an ageing population with limited interest from the youth to engage in agriculture.

About The Summit

The Niger Delta Food Security Summit (NDFSSE) will provide a platform to discuss the potential and viability of the agriculture business in the Niger Delta region as well as create effective agriculture programs that will stir the interest of the youths in the region in agriculture. This event seeks to harness the opportunities in agribusiness in the Niger Delta, as well as synergize on technologies, techniques and human resources to ensure effective diversification of the region’s economy from oil to agriculture. The event is scheduled to take place in Uyo, Akwa – Ibom State from the 11th – 13th of February 2026. Over 850 agriculture professionals, intergovernmental agencies, investors, policymakers, industry representatives, NGOs, research institutes and private sector companies from within and outside the country will gather to discuss important issues facing food security in the Niger-Delta. The three-day summit is expected to provoke robust debate and frank information sharing and will provide a platform for the formation of strategic partnerships and collaborations. The aim of the discussions is to lead to innovative solutions and best practices to ensure food security amidst the economic and environmental challenges.

6 PIVOTAL GOALS O THE SUMMIT

  • Continuous youth engagement and ruralurban sensitization.
  • Activation of Domestic/ International Road shows to attract funding windows.
  • Multi-disciplinary Idea Cross-Pollination across all Agro value chains
  • Creation of a public-private partnership platform for the realization of all the above.
  • Technology exchange and transfer with countries well versed in Agriculture.
  • Signed and documented commitments from Multinationals on annual funding

EXOECTED OUTCOMES

  • The Launch of the Niger-Delta Agricultural Entrepreneurship Scheme (NDAES) for aspiring entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector: This is expected to address the economic constraints facing the Niger Delta Youths in agriculture (lack of credit, weak profitability, capacity constraint etc.). It will also provide opportunities for the teeming youths in the Niger Delta to become Agropreneurs thereby reducing the rate of unemployment in the region.
  • Youth and gender based programs that will stir and attract the interest of Youths to agriculture in the region would be initiated, this will help to redirect and refocus the attention and mindset of youths in the region from crime and cult related vices to social good.
  • Development of a framework for training the Niger Delta Youths on modern ways of agriculture and agri-business immediately after high school. • Recommendations on a Regional Action Plan for Niger Delta to improve food security and achieve a Food Secure region.
  • Framework for small holder farmers forming cooperative societies to access local & international loans, grants and other forms of agricultural support.
  • Consultants will be engaged to ensure the success and efficient running of the Niger-Delta Agricultural Entrepreneurship Scheme (NDAES).