A 5-hour meeting and brainstorming session was held on Thursday 16th December, 2021, at DAWN Commission with the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agro-Allied Value Chain – Mr. Dolapo Bright. The meeting was an hybrid with key players in the Agricultural private sector and farmer groups participating both physically and virtually.
The Southwest Agricultural Stakeholders meeting was aimed towards charting a course for Agricultural Transformation in Southwest Nigeria as well as identifying how the SW states can tap into Agricultural resources available at the federal level.
During the course of the meeting, areas of comparative advantage, as well as issues and challenges peculiar to each Southwestern State was discussed at length.
The DG of the Commission, Mr. Oyeleye, emphasised the need for food security and food sufficiency in the Southwest Region of Nigeria.
Also, the SSA to the President on Agro Allied Value Chain, Mr. Dolapo BRIGHT, who spoke extensively, reiterated the urgent need for Stakeholders in the Agric Value Chain to map out strategies that would guarantee food sufficiency and preservation of Agricultural produce in the Region.
Dr. Olusade TAIWO, a seasoned researcher and a consultant to DAWN Commission on the Framework for Agricultural Transformation Project, made a presentation to the Stakeholders on the project at hand. Below are the highlights of the project:
- DAWN facilitating, coordinating and showcasing promising agro-based growth strategies;
- Designing an evidence-based framework to drive government enabled, private sector-led value chains development as the main growth driver of the agricultural sector;
- Creating, sharing and using knowledge and information on Western Nigeria agriculture value chains (“Knowledge Management”)
- Infrastructure and risk mapping of agriculture ecosystem;
- Identifying business models that stimulate markets and create opportunities for different actors (including women and youths) at all levels of agricultural value chains (especially prioritized value chains);
- Leveraging more inclusive platforms for linking agriculture to manufacturing (small, medium and large players) and stimulating job creation and skills development; and
- Enhancing Intra/inter States and Africa Trade in agricultural value chains.
At the end of the brainstorming session, the action points for each state includes promoting production in clusters to enable value addition; monitoring the forest reserves to beef up security; and ensuring the house of representatives play their oversight roles in ministries as they ought to among other plans.
A follow up meeting in Abuja will be held early in the New year 2022.
In attendance (physical):
• Mr. Seye OYELEYE (Director General, DAWN Commission)
• Mr. Oludolapo BRIGHT (Senior Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Agro Allied Value Chain)
• Dr. Olusade TAIWO (Researcher and Consultant)
• Prince Adetayo ADELEKE-ADEDOYIN (Head, Special Projects and Funding, DAWN Commission)
• Prof. K.O. Oluwasemire (HOD Department of Soil Resource Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan)
• Mr. Taiwo Adedeji (IAR&T Animal Genetics and Cattle Ranching) and many others who attended virtually.
