Vice-President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria is determined to achieve food sovereignty through mechanisation, climate-smart agriculture, high-yield seeds and modern farming practices.

He also announced plans to plant 20 billion trees from the next rainy season, drawing lessons from Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative, which combines environmental restoration with economic and livelihood benefits.

He said the proposed tree-planting campaign would require extensive planning, energy and public participation, citing Ethiopia’s success in mobilising its population for the initiative.

“We will embark on a massive tree-planting campaign in the next rainy season, and we intend to plant 20 billion trees,” Mr Shettima stated. “It requires a lot of planning, energy and drive, which Ethiopia was able to galvanise its population into doing.”

Mr Shettima spoke during a tour of farms and agricultural facilities in Oromia, Ethiopia, where he highlighted the importance of food security to national sovereignty. He said countries that depended heavily on external food sources risked compromising their sovereignty, stressing that self-sufficiency in food production was essential to national independence.

“Food dependency compromises our sovereignty. Without independence in food production, a nation remains incomplete in its sovereignty,” he said.

The vice-president said cooperation between Nigeria and Ethiopia could significantly strengthen Africa’s food security, describing Ethiopia’s agricultural transformation as a model worth emulating. He identified agriculture as an area of mutual advantage for both countries, urging them to learn from each other’s successes for their citizens’ benefit.

“Africa must learn to feed itself. Ethiopia is doing it, and Nigeria is on course to do the same. Ethiopia is a success story worthy of emulation,” he said.

Mr Shettima urged African countries to adopt Ethiopia’s agricultural framework to strengthen food production and achieve food sovereignty across the continent. He said the programme would promote environmental restoration and create employment opportunities, drawing on Ethiopia’s experience.

The vice-president added that the combined population and economic potential of Nigeria and Ethiopia could generate significant benefits for Africa.

“With a population of 100 million people, and a combined population with Nigeria of over 400 million, Ethiopia’s success will reverberate across the length and breadth of East and Southern Africa,” he said.

(NAN)