During the 6th African Irrigation Conference in Abuja, on April 14, 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a national food security emergency, citing shrinking farmlands and erratic rainfall. The move comes as Nigeria’s agricultural sector faces dual pressures of climate change and infrastructure gaps.
Key Interventions:
- The new Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) project, backed by the World Bank, will expand on earlier successes like the Dadin-Kowa irrigation scheme that brought 153,000 hectares under cultivation.
- River Basin Authorities are being commercialized to attract private investment, while Water User Associations strengthen farmer resilience.
The emergency declaration aligns with the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) $538 million Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Phase 1. It is a climate-smart infrastructure across 24 Nigerian states projected to reduce post-harvest losses and boost value chains.
Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum warned that “fertile lands are turning to dust,” urging urgent irrigation support for women and youth farmers. With 90% of Nigeria’s agriculture still rain-fed, the government aims to replicate Kenya’s 5-fold irrigation expansion under the Africa Water Vision 2025.
The conference concluded on April 17, and experts emphasized that Nigeria’s food future hinges on translating pledges into localized solutions. This is especially true as Nigeria’s population approaches 400 million by 2050.
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