The World Bank has placed a significant emphasis on Nigeria’s critical role in shaping the future of Africa, asserting that the continent’s development hinges on Nigeria’s ability to thrive.
Dr. Ndiame Diop, the Country Director of the World Bank, articulated this view during a lecture series hosted by the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Ibadan, where he underscored the profound impact Nigeria’s progress has on the entire African region.
Delivering a lecture titled, “Leveraging Agricultural Transformation for Sustainable Economic Development in Nigeria: Key Considerations,” Diop implored Nigerians to take decisive action to steer their nation towards prosperity. “Africa will succeed if Nigeria succeeds,” he stated, emphasizing the nation’s pivotal position in continental development.
He further stressed the importance of internal stability, expressing confidence in Nigerians’ capacity for transformative change: “The success of Nigeria is the success of Africa. If Nigeria succeeds, Africa will succeed. The best way is to keep your house in order, control your domestic policies. Nigerians have the will to do the right thing.”
Echoing Diop’s sentiment, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, highlighted the government’s focus on agriculture as a cornerstone of economic revitalization. He detailed the administration’s commitment to addressing security, ensuring food sufficiency, and fostering competitive advantage within the agricultural sector.
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“Agriculture is one of our main priorities. To develop the agricultural sector, we have taken security, food sufficiency and competitive advantage seriously. We want to ensure that agriculture remains competitive,” Bagudu explained.
Recognizing the challenges posed by insecurity to the agricultural and fisheries sectors, Bagudu noted the establishment of specialized ministries. “Insecurity is affecting the agricultural sector. Even the fishery. In order to address this, the current administration has created ministries of livestock development and blue economy to create more opportunities,” he stated.
He concluded by reiterating the government’s primary objective: “What we want to do is to ensure that we produce enough food for the citizens for profitability and sustainability.”
© Ripples Nigeria