•To shed light on Nigeria’s food security roadmap

By Emeka Anaeto, Business Editor

Nigeria’s agriculture value chain and food security would take the center stage of economic discussions set to happen at the 2026 edition of Vanguard Economic Discourse. 

The Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, is headlining the event as the Chairman while using the platform to shed light on the challenges and prospects of sector.

The theme of this year’s edition of the Vanguard Economic Discourse is ‘‘Food Security and Socio-economic Stability: Options for Nigeria’s Agriculture Sector Rebound’’.

The 2026 event is scheduled to hold next week, Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos starting by 9am.

Sen. Abubakar Kyari would be joined at the event by key stakeholders in the sector comprising of both national and international key leaders in public and private sectors. 

Dr. Hussein Gadain, ECOWAS/ Nigeria Resident Representative of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN/ FAO) is setting the stage for incisive discussion as the Keynote Speaker.

A group of eminent stakeholders in the Nigeria’s agriculture and food value chain have been assembled as panelists.

The Panel session would be headed by the Honorable Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Muktar Maiha. 

Other Panel members are: Mrs Dede Ekoue, Country Director, International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, in Nigeria; Dr Mrs Moji Davids, Managing Director, Xtralarge Farms & Resorts; Mohammed Magaji, President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN; and Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, President of Nigeria Agribusiness Group, NABG. 

The eminent stakeholders would also include representatives of financial institutions with the Agric Desks of Commercial Banks in the formal and networking sessions.

Sen. Abubakar Kyari, an accomplished public sector executive, is known to have brought some clarity in Nigeria’s agro-sector policy initiatives and several programmes have been initiated to address the difficulties faced by farmers and food entrepreneurs under his mandate. 

In August 2023, he was appointed the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. 

Since assuming office, Kyari has driven Nigeria’s food systems transformation through mechanization, partnerships, climate-smart agriculture, large-scale dry-season farming, fertilizer distribution, and policy reforms that strengthen value chains development and encourage private sector investment growth. 

He actively collaborates with global partners such as AfDB, FAO,  IFAD, ISDB, GIZ, AGRA and the World Bank, and serves as Vice Chair of the 48th IFAD Governing Council, shaping international dialogue on sustainable agriculture and food security.

The Vanguard Economic Discourse has gained traction in the past eight years as a major public-private sector platform for reviews and cross-fertilization of economic development ideas by Nigeria’s public and private sector leaders.