From Victor Osula, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has declared a national emergency on food security, urging expanded irrigation infrastructure and participatory water resource management nationwide.
The President made the declaration on Monday while opening the 6th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage in Abuja.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, the President urged African nations to adopt innovative strategies in addressing the continent’s irrigation and water management challenges.
He described the conference theme, “Tackling Irrigation Development and Water Management Crisis in Africa”, as a clarion call to action for sustainable agriculture and economic resilience.
“Africa continues to face major challenges in unlocking its irrigation potential due to inadequate infrastructure, financial constraints, climate change, and governance issues. This conference offers a vital platform for us to collectively chart a path forward”, he said.
In his remarks, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the government had completed several landmark initiatives under the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project.
He announced that its successor, the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) project, would address outstanding gaps while optimising the economic value of water resources to support food security.
