Latest news with #MarcusOgunbiyi
Zawya
23-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Nigeria: FG launches national palm oil traceability framework to slash $600mln import bill
In a move to revive Nigeria's dwindling palm oil industry and curb an annual import bill exceeding $600 million, the Federal Government, in collaboration with Solidaridad Nigeria, has inaugurated the National Palm Oil Traceability Framework and an Inter-Agency Committee to drive its implementation. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, represented by the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, described the national palm oil traceability framework as a strategic milestone toward reclaiming Nigeria's lost glory as a global palm oil powerhouse. 'In the 1960s, Nigeria accounted for over 40% of global palm oil production. Today, our share has fallen to less than 2%, producing only 1.4 million metric tons against a national demand of over 2 million metric tons annually. This gap costs us more than $600 million every year in imports,' Ogunbiyi noted. According to him, the new traceability framework is designed to modernise the sector by ensuring every liter of palm oil produced locally is traceable, high-quality, and ethically sourced. 'Traceability is the language of the now and the future. Consumers and markets today demand to know a product's origin and whether it meets ethical, health, and environmental standards. In the agriculture of tomorrow, traceability will not be optional, it will be a passport. A product without a story of origin will be a product without a market', he stressed. He added that the initiative aligns fully with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (2022–2027) and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which places agriculture at the heart of economic diversification, food security, and rural prosperity. Solidaridad Nigeria, one of the key implementing partners of the framework, highlighted the far-reaching impacts the initiative is expected to have on the entire value chain, from smallholder farms to processing mills and export markets. Kene Onukwube, Program Manager at Solidaridad Nigeria, said the framework would close gaps in Nigeria's domestic arrangements and drive greater efficiency across the sector. 'Our inability to trace palm oil production to specific farms or processors has limited our productivity. With a robust traceability system, we will see more efficiency in production, processing, and marketing. This will position Nigeria to compete globally and cut down on imports significantly', Onukwube said. He noted that Solidaridad, supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, has already piloted traceability systems in four states, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, and Kogi, demonstrating proof of concept for wider national adoption. 'These states cannot operate in isolation, so this national framework brings everyone together under a unified policy. Today's inauguration is not just a ceremony but a call for all stakeholders and agencies to understand their roles and work together toward a future-ready palm oil subsector', Onukwube said. The newly inaugurated Inter-Agency Committee will steer the implementation process, address technical challenges, and ensure that all relevant institutions align with national goals. Stakeholders at the event agreed that the framework would not only improve transparency and food safety but also enhance Nigeria's competitiveness in regional and global markets, while boosting income for local farmers. With the new traceability system, Nigerian government hopes to unlock investments in climate-smart oil palm production, ensure ethical sourcing, and build a resilient industry capable of reclaiming Nigeria's place as one of the world's leading palm oil producers. Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
19-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Food Security: the Members of the Management Committee of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Food Security Reserve Hold their Annual Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria
The third meeting of the Management Committee of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Food Security Reserve opens this Tuesday 18 March 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria. The two-day meeting, which will end on Wednesday 19 March 2025, will take stock of the activities carried out by the Food Reserve since the last meeting in 2023 and plan interventions for 2025, in a context marked by a growing food crisis in West Africa and regional and global geopolitical upheaval. Food security in West Africa and the Sahel continues to deteriorate due to persistent conflict, economic instability and the effects of climate change. In December 2024, almost 34.7 million people needed immediate food and nutrition assistance, a figure that could rise to 47 million by the June-August 2025 lean season if urgent affirmative measures are not taken. Malnutrition also remains a major concern in several countries in the region. Faced with this situation, ECOWAS, in collaboration with Member States, Chad and Mauritania, is working to strengthen rapid and sustainable response mechanisms through the Regional Food Security Reserve. The aim of the Reserve is to complement the efforts of Member States to provide rapid and sustainable food assistance to affected countries, promote regional solidarity and contribute to food sovereignty and economic integration in West Africa. The Management Committee, with its Executive Board, is the centrepiece of the Reserve's governance. It decides on all the operations relating to its functioning: purchases, storage, technical rotations and interventions in response to a crisis. The main purpose of the 3rd meeting of the Management Committee is to present to the Committee members a detailed report on the operations carried out since the last meeting in March 2023 and to submit for their approval the operations planned for 2025 (purchases, interventions, technical rotations, replenishment, etc.). During the meeting, members will also discuss and validate the resource mobilisation plan to support Member States in their responses to food, nutrition and pastoral crises. Furthermore, drawing lessons from the ten years of implementation of the regional food storage strategy through comparing the theory with the practice of its implementation on the ground, the Management Committee's discussions will launch the process of revising the said strategy and the operating rules of the Regional Reserve with the aim of strengthening the coordination and effectiveness of collective action to better meet the new challenges linked to the changing socio-political context at both regional and international level. Speaking of the challenges facing the region, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi who opened the meeting on behalf of the Federal Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari CON., drew participants' attention on the growing need for sovereign financing of West African agriculture in general, and of food crisis response mechanisms in particular. Such instruments need to be adapted to the realities of Member States. Following Dr Ogunbiyi, the Executive Director of the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF), Mr Mohamed Zongo, speaking on behalf of Mrs Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, recalled that since its creation, the Food Reserve has made significant progress. It currently has a projected capital of more than 74,000 tonnes of food, stored in several areas of the region, which can be deployed rapidly in case of need. Food security stocks are emerging as key social protection tools, used at different levels – local, national, regional – to respond effectively to food crises. The Management Committee meeting brings together representatives from ECOWAS Member States, Chad, Mauritania, regional institutions (ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS), producer organisations, civil society, the private sector and technical and financial partners. It falls within ECOWAS's ongoing efforts to build a more resilient regional food system, capable of responding effectively to current and future shocks. The expected results will be used to guide priority actions for 2025, in a spirit of solidarity and regional integration. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
