An expert in innovation and development, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, has proposed fixes for Nigeria’s frail food and agricultural system.
This was stated by Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, who until recently served as acting Director of the United Nations-Habitat Regional Office for Africa in Nairobi.
He said this during a talk he gave on Thursday at the Africa Social Impact Summit in Lagos on the subject of “From a Fragility Trap to Resilient Economic Development.”
He claims that many people live in a low-income trap because over 70% of African rural residents rely only on agriculture for livelihood.
He added that significant adjustments to the economic environment will be required for Africa to realize its aspirations for growth.
According to him, quicker economic growth and sectoral transformation are the cure for the ailment of nations locked in a low equilibrium trap, which is essentially a fragility trap.
“Most Africans who live in rural areas are farmers, and in some circumstances, approximately 70% of households rely on subsistence farming for their income.
“A greater percentage of households in the region rely on subsistence farming to make a living. They grow important food crops like cassava, beans, plantains, maize, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, yams, and sweet potatoes, as well as some traditional cash crops like coffee, cotton, cocoa, oil palm, sugar, tea, and others.”
He continued, “For Africa to achieve the desired development goal outlined in numerous documents like the AU Agenda 2063, the SDGs, and the AfDB High-5, there will need to be significant changes made to the economic environment.
“As the countries strive towards modernization, numerous successive policies and structural changes will need to be made. The economy will need to move from being based on rural to urban areas and from agriculture to industry and services, which is the most significant change.”
He added that policies that promote stronger ties between rural and urban regions and encourage the transition away from agriculture will be necessary for sustainability.
Investments in rural infrastructure, IT/communication, roads, and transit that offer the physical links, as well as high-quality rural education and technical skills are strategic activities to this policy, he claimed.
According to the professor, we must encourage the growth of agriculture (at least by 6% annually), the industrialization of rural areas, the transformation of domestic markets (and access to them), and the establishment of non-farm rural jobs in order to achieve sustained progress.
“These actions have the potential to significantly alter rural Africa’s appearance as it moves towards modernization,” he said.
He also emphasized the need to pay particular attention to the LICs and landlocked Sahelian countries.
“In contrast to the values we see for South Korea, Malaysia, and $4,000 for Algeria, these are countries where government income minus aid are between $200 and $450 per head per year.
“We must transform the foundational Low-level agri-food sector, which accounts for a third of the Sahel’s GDP and seventy-five percent of its employment.”
