On Thursday, 31 October 2019, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) launched the National Gender Policy on Agriculture as a tool to deepen women’s involvement in the country’s agriculture. Given IFPRI’s history of support to the development of the policy, Dr. Kwaw Andam, Country Program Leader of IFPRI’s Nigeria Strategy Support Program (IFPRI-NSSP) and Chief of Party for the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project, was invited by FMARD to the event.
The Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, in his keynote address stated that the policy would promote and ensure the adoption of gender-sensitive and responsive approaches towards engendering plans and programmes in such a way that men and women have equal access to and control of resources. He explained that when implemented, it would be a tool for achieving gender-based reforms and increasing productivity by men and women along all the value chains in the sector, improve food security, reduce hunger, poverty and sustain the livelihoods of men and women who rely on agricultural value chain for common good.
In his remarks, Dr. Andam expressed his delight at being present to witness the occasion, given its importance for Nigeria’s agricultural system and overall development. He stated, “On behalf of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and its office here in Abuja, I heartily congratulate the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), and the government and people of Nigeria for reaching this milestone. The launching of the National Gender Policy on Agriculture today provides a much-needed framework for ensuring that no one in Nigeria, regardless of their gender, is left behind in matters pertaining to agriculture.”
He explained that IFPRI, through the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project, has worked with FMARD by collaborating to strengthen the Ministry’s institutional capacity and by engaging in policy dialogues on topics such as nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
The event had in attendance the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar, the Chairman of the occasion and Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Sen. Dr. Abdullahi Adamu, the Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi among others.
