A stark warning has been issued by leading economists and policy specialists: Nigeria is on the verge of losing millions of potential employment opportunities due to its continued neglect of the agricultural sector. This caution came during the unveiling of a new evidence-based report in Lagos, which positions agriculture as the country's most viable solution for mass job creation and industrial growth.
Agriculture: Nigeria's Untapped Employment Goldmine
The report, presented at the public launch of the book How Africa Eats: Trade, Food Security and Climate Risks by renowned scholar Professor David Luke, paints a troubling picture. It reveals that Nigeria possesses vast agricultural potential but fails to harness it because of inconsistent policymaking, weak institutional frameworks, and decades of neglect.
Experts at the event stressed that the nation's severe unemployment crisis and the continent's widespread food insecurity are interconnected problems. They share a common root cause: an agricultural sector that has been systematically marginalized. The specialists argued that agriculture, a domain where Nigeria holds a natural competitive advantage, could become the nation's largest employer if supported by coherent and sustained government action and investment.
The High Cost of Inaction: Importing Food, Exporting Jobs
The analysis highlights a critical contradiction: rising unemployment in a country that hosts one of the world's most labour-absorbing sectors. The report warns that Nigeria stands at a crossroads. The current path of heavy reliance on food imports drains foreign exchange and, more crucially, exports valuable job opportunities to other countries.
Conversely, strategically revitalizing agriculture would not only boost food production but also unlock massive employment across the entire value chain. This includes jobs in:
- Processing and agro-industries
- Logistics, storage, and supply chain management
- Mechanization and input supply
- Digital agriculture and technology services
- Export-oriented businesses
An Urgent Call for Reform and Strategic Investment
The experts moved beyond identifying problems to issue a powerful call for action. They insisted that agriculture must be reframed as the backbone of Africa's employment strategy, not merely a side issue in development discussions.
They cautioned that without urgent policy reforms, improved security for farmers, and significant investment in mechanization and climate-resilient farming systems, Nigeria and the broader continent will continue on the unsustainable path of "importing food and exporting jobs."
Professor David Luke, the author of the launched book, described the chronic underinvestment in agriculture as both a moral failure and a severe economic miscalculation. He lamented the alarming statistic that over 200 million Africans face food deprivation while governmental responses remain inadequate.
"We cannot normalise hunger on this continent," Luke stated. "A third of Africa’s population is food insecure—these are staggering numbers." He further noted that Nigeria's agricultural competitiveness has been weakened by global subsidy systems and a lack of sufficient domestic support.
The consensus from the report is clear: with the right interventions, Nigeria can transform agriculture from an overlooked industry into a powerful engine for national job creation, economic stability, and food sovereignty. Failure to seize this opportunity, the experts warned, will allow the twin crises of unemployment and hunger to reinforce each other, deepening poverty and economic vulnerability for years to come.
