Abuja: The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has highlighted persistent policy inconsistency as a significant obstacle to Nigeria’s economic and agricultural development. He made these remarks during a joint session organized by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) on the sidelines of the Nigeria Economic Summit in Abuja.

According to News Agency of Nigeria, Sanusi emphasized the critical issue of lack of continuity in government policies and the failure of Nigeria’s civil service to maintain institutional memory to sustain reforms beyond political transitions. He noted that with every election, it feels as though the country starts afresh, leading to repeated discussions on the same issues without resolution.

Sanusi recalled his tenure as the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, where he initiated a study on six agricultural value chains to enhance lending and promote local production investments. He cited the tomato value chain in Kano as an example of well-intentioned reforms that failed due to poor follow-through and outdated laws hindering the commercialisation of discovered tomato varieties suitable for paste production.

Sanusi stressed the importance of building robust agricultural value chains that attract private investment rather than relying solely on government funding. He warned against frequent policy reversals, such as the recent relaxation of food import restrictions, which have discouraged investors and negatively impacted farmers.

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State also spoke, emphasizing agriculture as Nigeria’s most reliable sector, noting its significant contribution to the GDP compared to oil. He detailed Nasarawa’s practical steps, such as cultivating large-scale farming and leveraging federal storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses.

Governor Umar Radda of Katsina State highlighted the need to fix the seed system to improve agricultural productivity. He emphasized the challenges of fragmented landholding in the North and called for smarter agricultural innovations to boost output.

Additionally, the Vice President of Olam Nigeria, Mr. Ade Adefeko, announced the company’s expansion in local agricultural processing, investing $45 million in a soy crushing facility in Ekiti State to boost Nigeria’s value chain development.