FG to introduce single-window platforms for land registration

Vice-President Kashim Shettima says the federal government will introduce single-window platforms for land registration, strengthen agricultural credit systems, expand irrigation infrastructure, and scale mechanisation.

In a statement on Tuesday, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima’s spokesperson, said the vice-president spoke in Abuja during the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations national and subregional hand-in-hand investment forum.

“We must facilitate access to land and resources for serious investors. We must drive mechanisation to reduce drudgery and enhance productivity,” the vice-president said.

“We must strengthen the agricultural credit system to ensure capital flows to where it is needed most.”

Shettima also said Nigeria’s irrigation potential remains largely untapped, with less than 10 percent of the country’s 3 million hectares of irrigable land currently being utilised.

He added that irrigation is a game changer in Nigeria, as investment in irrigation alone could triple yields, free the nation from seasonal dependency, and fortify its resilience against climate shocks.

The vice-president said that while hunger poses a global security issue, Nigeria must mobilise its strengths to secure a future of abundance.

“Nothing unifies humanity as much as hunger. It is the great equaliser that reveals our vulnerabilities and the shared fragility of our existence,” he said.

‘NIGERIA OPEN TO AGRI-TECH INVESTORS’

The vice-president said Nigeria is open to agri-tech investors, as the country’s policies undergo reforms to attract capital through public-private partnerships and innovation.

“Nigeria is open for business, and we are ready to partner with you,” he said.

“Let us work hand-in-hand to build a Nigeria and a subregion where no one goes to bed hungry, where rural communities are hubs of wealth creation, and where agriculture is the true foundation of our prosperity.”

Shettima further said Nigeria is ready to partner with relevant stakeholders and investors to implement its blueprint, targeting 21 million full-time jobs in rural and agrarian communities while securing national food and nutrition sufficiency.

“The vehicle to this future is the quality of policies we have chosen to prioritise,” he said.

“At the top of these interventions stands our National Development Plan (2021–2025), which has set forth ambitious but achievable targets.

“This blueprint seeks to lift 35 million Nigerians out of poverty, create 21 million full-time jobs in rural and agrarian communities, and secure national food and nutrition sufficiency through deliberate and strategic investments in agriculture.”

Abubakar Kyari, the minister of agriculture and food security, said a combination of Nigeria’s domestic market, large arable land, clement weather, and fast-growing digital economy presents unique opportunities for investment.

Also speaking, Atiku Bagudu, the minister of budget and economic planning, said agriculture, particularly agribusiness, remains crucial to Nigeria’s national development plan and President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.

Hussein Gadain, FAO representative in Nigeria, described the hand-in-hand initiative as FAO’s flagship programme, designed to accelerate agricultural transformation and sustainable rural development.

Gadain said the programme aims to eradicate poverty, end hunger and all forms of malnutrition, and reduce inequalities as a vehicle for achieving the SDGs.

Others present were Demba Sabally, minister of agriculture, livestock and food security of The Gambia, and Gautier Mignot, head of the European Union (EU) delegation in Nigeria.