Vice President Kashim Shettima has positioned Nigeria’s food security agenda as a critical pillar of macroeconomic stability, national security, and effective governance, unveiling a comprehensive strategy at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

Speaking on a high-level panel titled “When Food Becomes Security” at the Congress Centre during the 56th WEF meeting, Shettima stressed that Nigeria’s approach to food security goes far beyond agriculture. He noted that the country now sees food security as a core economic and security concern, essential for national stability and regional cohesion.

According to a statement by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, the strategy is anchored on three key pillars: boosting food production, ensuring environmental sustainability, and strengthening regional integration across West Africa. These measures, Shettima explained, are designed to protect Nigeria from global supply chain disruptions.

The Vice President highlighted Nigeria’s diverse ecological challenges, pointing out that while desertification, deforestation, and drought affect the Sahelian North, flooding poses serious risks in the riverine South and parts of the North Central region. To address these challenges, the government is introducing drought-resistant, flood-tolerant, and early-maturing crop varieties such as rice, sorghum, and millet, alongside redesigned food systems in flood-prone areas.

Shettima also linked food insecurity to Nigeria’s economic challenges, identifying heavy reliance on imports of wheat, sugar, and dairy products as major contributors to inflation, especially amid foreign exchange volatility. He said the government is accelerating local production and encouraging the use of alternatives such as sorghum, millet, and cassava flour to address these structural imbalances.

Under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Shettima declared that Nigeria is reclaiming its leadership role in Africa, with plans to make smallholder farmers and fishers attractive to large-scale investment within the next year.

He further emphasised the importance of intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), describing it as an urgent necessity in the face of shifting global dynamics. Calling on African leaders to deepen internal alignment, Shettima expressed optimism that intra-African trade would rise significantly above its current 10.7 per cent level, supported by expanded climate adaptation efforts.