Stakeholders have reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) through increased investment, scalable agribusinesses, and inclusive food systems in Nigeria.
The commitment was made at a Partners’ Roundtable Dialogue on the CAADP 2026–2035 agenda on Thursday in Abuja.
The dialogue, themed “From Policy to Enterprise: Translating CAADP into Scalable Agribusiness Opportunities in Nigeria,” focused on bridging the gap between policy frameworks and enterprise-level execution.
Ms. Kachi Nwachukwu, Programme Manager at African Food Changemakers (AFC), said Nigeria had signed several agricultural policies, including CAADP, but faced challenges in translating them into action.
She identified key constraints as limited access to finance, fragmented markets, weak value chain integration, and climate-related risks.
Nwachukwu highlighted the need for blended finance models, stronger partnerships between financial institutions and agribusinesses, and inclusive financing for SMEs, especially women and rural entrepreneurs. She added that AFC supports agribusinesses through programs focused on export readiness, market access, and enterprise development.
Mr. Azeez Salawu said the CAADP 2026–2035 strategy provides a renewed framework for transforming Africa’s agrifood systems. He said the strategy aims to drive sustainable growth, strengthen food and nutrition security, and build resilient economies.
According to him, key priorities include boosting investment, promoting agro-industrialization and trade, advancing inclusivity, and strengthening agrifood systems governance.
Salawu, however, noted a gap in translating CAADP priorities into scalable, investment-ready agribusiness opportunities.
“Agribusinesses, particularly SMEs and youth-led enterprises, are central to achieving CAADP outcomes, yet they face constraints in accessing finance, markets, technical support, and trade opportunities,” he said.
He added that rising food insecurity, climate shocks, youth unemployment, and nutrition challenges require coordinated and well-financed action, with a greater focus on enterprise development.
It was reported that participants included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, civil society organizations, development partners, and private sector actors.
The dialogue also provided a platform to connect development partners with scalable agribusiness pipelines, including youth-led enterprises, to drive inclusive growth, job creation, and trade.
