The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, has tasked African countries to invest in agriculture, saying it is the sure way of tackling hunger and insecurity in Africa.
Peter Obi gave this advice on Friday while speaking as a panelist at an international conference on food security in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.
Writing on his X handle, the former Anambra State governor said that the prevailing hunger crisis in Africa could only be tackled effectively by giving adequate attention to agriculture.
According to him, reducing reliance on food imports would help ease the strain on the currency, steady exchange rates, and rein in inflationary pressures driven by high food costs.
“Today, I was one of the panellists at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 held in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
“At the session, I reiterated my long-held position that food insecurity in Africa is intrinsically linked to human insecurity.
Using Nigeria as an example, I emphasized that solving food insecurity is a major path to general security in the country.
“By investing in agriculture and food-related productivity, Nigeria will not only be addressing the hunger crisis but will also create huge job opportunities for the teeming unemployed population, especially the youths in their productive age,” he said.