Abuja: The Federal Government, in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria and development partners, has unveiled the 2025-2030 Revised National Gender Policy on Agrifood Systems Transformation and its Strategic Action Plan. The policy is aimed at promoting equitable access to agricultural resources, opportunities and decision-making across the agrifood value chain.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, stated at the unveiling in Abuja that the initiative marked a major step towards building an inclusive, productive, and sustainable agricultural sector. Represented by his Minister of State, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, Kyari emphasized that agriculture remained central to Nigeria’s priorities in driving food security, employment, and economic growth. However, he noted that persistent gender disparities continued to limit the full participation of women, who play key roles across the agrifood value chain.
Kyari explained that the policy provides a practical framework for ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities for both women and men, while strengthening gender-responsive approaches in agricultural programmes. He stressed the importance of moving from commitment to action, calling on all relevant institutions and stakeholders to integrate the policy into their plans, programmes, and budgets, while ensuring strong monitoring and accountability mechanisms.
In his remarks, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, highlighted the policy’s focus on addressing the roles, opportunities, and challenges faced by women in ensuring national food security. He described the unveiling as a milestone in efforts to promote inclusive agricultural development and ensure that no segment of the population was left behind. Abdullahi underlined that gender mainstreaming was critical to unlocking the sector’s full potential, committing to integrating the concerns of both women and men into the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of agricultural policies and programmes.
The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Mamedu, noted that the unveiling was a defining moment in Nigeria’s journey towards an inclusive and resilient agrifood system. Represented by Mrs. Olufunke Olukeye, Director of People and Culture, he said the policy reflected Nigeria’s commitment to placing gender equity and social inclusion at the centre of agrifood transformation. Mamedu, who also chairs the National Gender Steering Committee, highlighted the extensive consultations that informed the policy’s development and emphasized the need for political will, adequate funding, strong institutions, and accountability at all levels for its implementation.
Dr. Rufus Idris, Country Director of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), pledged support for the policy, recognizing gender inclusion as critical to transforming Africa’s food systems. Similarly, Dr. Nkiruka Okonkwo, National Consultant on the policy review, elaborated on the framework designed to eliminate structural inequalities and institutional barriers to gender inclusion, built around six strategic objectives.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the event was organized by ActionAid Nigeria under its Inclusive Food Systems Project, supported by the German International Cooperation (GIZ).