Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos says his administration has empowered no fewer than 100,000 women and youths in various agricultural fields.

Mr Sanwo-Olu gave the figure at the celebration of the 2024 World Food Day on Wednesday at the Police College, Ikeja.

The 2024 World Food Day had the theme:  “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future”.

He said: “So far, we have enabled and empowered over 100,000 women and youths across the state.

“They have been trained in various agricultural practices, and we continue to support them with direct access to inputs, with necessary equipment.

“Through these various initiatives, we are also inspiring  people to develop genuine interest in agriculture.

 “We are also advancing heavily in capital production through our massive investment in our capital feedlots project,” he said.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said that achieving food security required collective efforts, urging that all hands must be on deck.

“This emphasises the importance of collective action and developing a sustainable food system and serves as the core direction to combat food insecurity.

“The universal declaration of human rights recognises food as a fundamental right and one of humanity’s most basic needs. Since we all can’t do without food, all hands must be on deck.

“Every year, member-nations, including our great country Nigeria, come together to improve food security to reduce poverty and essentially address hunger. Lagos is not an exception.

” This fits perfectly and captures the essence of why we are here together at today’s celebration of the World Food Day 2024,” the governor said.

Mr Sanwo-Olu further said that the celebration also commemorated the founding of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in 1945, making a significant milestone in the global fight against hunger.

“This global initiative highlights a shared responsibility  to ensure that we have a better livelihood through efficient and effective accessibility to nutritional food.

“This year’s theme speaks truly for itself,” he said.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said he was aware of the challenges Lagos state had had to deal with, given its geographical location.

“Lagos, in spite of being the smallest state in the country, has the largest population with almost 25 per cent of its territory covered by a body of water.

“We face a unique challenge in achieving our state’s food security.

“My administration is fully committed to addressing these challenges. We are focused on strengthening the agricultural value chain to reduce food prices.”

He also said that his administration was determined to build a strategy to develop an effective reserve system and ensure food sufficiency.

“One of the ways in which we are achieving this is by using the internet. This programme seeks to revolutionise farming practices by incorporating technology into agriculture.

“This rebranding allows us to prioritise food system management to enhance mechanisation, improve food safety and ultimately drive down food prices,” he said.

(NAN)