By Emmanuel Eko
Food is a basic human right and evidence-based policies which should be put in place to ensure that every individual have access to safe, sufficient, nutritious and sustainably grown food."
This was the view of stakeholders in the food policy research sector during the launching of the Guiding Investments in Sustainable Intensification in Africa (GISAIA) project held recently at the Shehu Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja.
GISAIA, a joint effort of the Michigan State University (MSU) USA, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the University of Ibadan and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, was in realisation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP),
a long-term strategy to support investment planning for improved growth and poverty reduction.
Nigeria is one of the 17 African countries that have signed the CAADP compacts.
Delivering his opening remarks, Adesoji Adelaja, a professor at MSU and head of Economic Intelligence in the Presidency, said the institution had the capabilities and opportunities to enhance Nigerian agricultural and economic development.
He thanked the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID for bringing together various stakeholders focused on strengthening evidence-based policymaking through research that filled key knowledge gaps and helped build national capacity for policy analysis in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Minister of Power Professor Chinedu Nebo noted that research and collaboration held the key to food security in Nigeria and Africa at large.
He commended the organizers of the initiative and assured them of the federal government's determination to tackle Nigeria's infrastructure challenge for greater food production and supply.
The post Stakeholders parley on food security in Africa (http://peoplesdailyng.com/stakeholders-parley-on-food-security-in-africa/) appeared first on Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria (http://peoplesdailyng.com).
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