ABUJA — Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, recently voiced concerns that Nigeria’s new policy to massively import food could potentially harm its agricultural sector.

According to Burkina Information Agency, during a speech in Abuja at a meeting with African Anglican Church primates, Adesina reacted to the Nigerian government’s decision to eliminate duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of several staple crops for 150 days as announced by Minister of Agriculture Abubakar Kyari on July 10. This policy aims to counteract rising food prices but may undermine domestic agricultural efforts and investments. Adesina highlighted the risks of becoming overly reliant on imported food, suggesting instead that Nigeria should focus on boosting local production to stabilize prices, create jobs, and conserve foreign exchange, which would strengthen the local currency, the Naira.

The president of the African Bank of Development emphasized the importance of self-sufficiency, asserting that a nation dependent on food imports compromises its independence. He called for the Nigerian government to leverage the AfDB’s ongoing investments in agriculture, which include a $25 billion initiative intended to transform the sector by introducing advanced agricultural technologies to 40 million farmers across Africa by 2030, aiming for continent-wide food self-sufficiency.