Abuja: The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming agriculture as a driver of food security and inclusive prosperity. Kyari spoke on Thursday at the Combined National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) Meeting in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Kyari described the NPSC as a strategic committee positioned at the intersection of policy authority, development financing, and the national imperative to secure the nation’s food systems. He emphasized that the ministry would exercise its oversight mandate with renewed firmness, zero tolerance for inefficiency, and uncompromising accountability.
Kyari declared the end of the era of business-as-usual, emphasizing that under the Renewed Hope Agenda, programs must be aligned, performance must be measurable, and outcomes must be visible to the Nigerian people. He announced a decisive institutional step to elevate the authority and effectiveness of the Projects Coordinating Unit (PCU) to a full-fledged department of Development Partnership Projects, aimed at strengthening supervision, tightening coordination, enforcing standards, and entrenching results-based management across all development partners-supported programs.
The minister made it clear that projects must perform, or they will be restructured. He warned that Annual Workplans and Budgets (AWPB) approvals would no longer be routine and stressed that every proposal must demonstrate clear alignment with national priorities, including food security, productivity enhancement, value chain development, youth engagement, and inclusive economic growth. He stated that these goals are the core pillars of the Renewed Hope Agenda, and budgets must reflect impact rather than intentions, with activities delivering value over volume.
Kyari assured the committee of the ministry’s continued commitment to providing coordination, oversight, and institutional support to all development partners and supported programs. He reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, to transforming the agricultural sector as a key driver of food security, economic diversification, and inclusive prosperity.
Earlier, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, affirmed the committee’s role as the apex oversight and governance platform for development partners-supported projects under the Ministry of Agriculture. Ogunbiyi expressed appreciation for Kyari’s leadership and strategic direction in advancing national food security, agricultural productivity, and rural transformation in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.