Lagos hosts 2027 agrifood budget forum as stakeholders push stronger food security and agricultural investment - NaijaAgroNet

Nigeria’s drive to strengthen food security, boost agricultural productivity, and diversify the economy through agrifood investments has taken centre stage as federal and state stakeholders, development partners, civil society organisations, and agricultural experts gathered in Lagos for the 2027 Agrifood System Budget Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The three-day forum, holding from August 5–7, 2026, at Amber Residence, GRA, Ikeja, is convened by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria, marking eight years of collaboration on participatory agricultural budgeting and agrifood policy development.

The engagement is expected to shape the framework for the 2027 agrifood budget, with a strong focus on making public spending in agriculture more responsive to the needs of farmers, rural communities, agribusinesses, and vulnerable populations.

Speaking at the opening session, Mr. Auwal Mohammed, Director of the Economic Growth Department at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, represented by Mr. Celestine Odo, Head of Programmes and Governance at ActionAid Nigeria, said the forum is aimed at translating continental agricultural commitments into practical national budget priorities.

He explained that the discussions are aligned with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the 2025 Kampala Commitments, which require African countries to strengthen investment in agriculture, food systems, and rural development.

According to him, integrating the goals of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) and the National Agrifood System Investment Plan (NASIP) into the 2027 budget would support Nigeria’s efforts to expand agricultural production, create jobs across the agrifood value chain, and reduce poverty through economic diversification.

For Nigeria’s agricultural sector, the forum represents a critical opportunity to ensure that budget allocations are linked to measurable outcomes in food production, extension services, irrigation, mechanisation, climate resilience, and market access.

Participants are expected to develop recommendations that will:improve agricultural financing and budget effectiveness;
strengthen food security and nutrition outcomes;
enhance transparency and accountability in agrifood spending;
support Nigeria’s reporting obligations under the CAADP framework; and promote stronger collaboration among government agencies, farmers’ organisations, civil society, donors, and development partners.

The Federal Ministry commended the leadership of Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. (Mrs.) Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of State, and Dr. (Mrs.) Deborah O.N. Odoh, Permanent Secretary, for prioritising agriculture as a strategic pillar of Nigeria’s non-oil growth agenda.

Special recognition was also extended to ActionAid Nigeria Country Director, Mr. Andrew Mamedu, and participating public and private sector stakeholders for their sustained commitment to building a more inclusive and resilient agrifood system.

The forum is expected to produce practical proposals that will influence the preparation of the 2027 Agrifood System Budget, with the ultimate goal of improving food availability, supporting farmers and agribusinesses, and strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural competitiveness.

For NaijaAgroNet, the significance of the consultation lies in its potential to move agricultural budgeting beyond allocations and toward implementation that delivers tangible benefits to producers, processors, rural households, and the wider agrifood economy.