Abuja: ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has reported the successful training of approximately 136,000 smallholder women farmers and young individuals in agroecological practices aimed at enhancing productivity, livelihoods, and climate resilience. Azubike Nwokoye, a Food Systems Specialist at AAN, made this announcement during the National Validation of Nigeria’s Strategy and Action Plan 2026 to 2035 for the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, this initiative is part of the Strategic Partnership for Agroecology and Climate Justice in West Africa project, with Nigeria as one of the focal countries. Beneficiaries of this project have experienced improved incomes, diversified livelihoods, increased yields, and strengthened resilience to the impacts of climate change. Nwokoye highlighted that ActionAid plans to conduct business case and political economy analyses, along with return-on-investment assessments, to aid evidence-based decision-making by federal and state governments.
These assessments aim to illustrate the advantages of increased agricultural investment and guide governments in directing resources towards interventions that enhance food and nutrition security. ‘ActionAid is committed to seeing people come out of poverty across Nigeria through the agriculture sector. Within the last three years, we have directly trained thousands of smallholder women farmers and young people on agroecological practices in some states,’ Nwokoye stated.
He further noted that the CAADP Kampala Declaration offers an opportunity to build smarter, fairer, and more resilient agrifood systems, promising more prospects for young people, women, and persons with disabilities to thrive despite climate change and other challenges. ‘Above all, it recognises that achieving the ambitious targets of the CAADP Kampala Declaration is a shared responsibility requiring the commitment and collaboration of all stakeholders,’ he added.
Oliver Kirui, Country Programme Leader at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), also spoke at the event, outlining the strategic objectives of the declaration. These objectives include intensifying sustainable food production, promoting agro-industrialisation, expanding trade, increasing investment and financing for accelerated agrifood systems transformation, improving food and nutrition security, advancing inclusive and equitable livelihoods, building resilient agrifood systems, and strengthening governance.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the CAADP Kampala Declaration 2026 to 2035 seeks to transform Africa’s agrifood systems through improved productivity, resilience, inclusivity, and sustainable development.