– Samuel Ayara
Going through livestream of some sessions of the 2024 Africa Food Systems Summit in Kigali would trigger a sense of apprehension about how the world haplessly got swarmed-up in food shortage and insecurity. Most of what made sense at the summit which had as theme, “Innovate, accelerate and scale: Delivering food systems transformation in a digital and climate era”, away from ambitious projections could be summed up in the strides some national and sub-national are already making in this direction.
The summit signposted a number of conversations including, China’s role in Africa food system; Financing Food Systems: Measuring Malabo and Unpacking New Tools for Food System; High-level Ministerial Roundtable Advancing Food Systems and Climate Actions – Country Actions; The State of Nutrition and Advancing Nutrition Outcomes and Empowering Women for Food Systems Transformation; African Leadership on Healthy Diets.
The Kigali summit had an Akwa Ibom State delegation that was led by the Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, Secretary to the State Government, Prince Enobong Uwah, Sir Charles Udoh; Dr. Offiong Offor; Mr Emem Bob, Commissioners for Culture and Tourism, Agriculture and Economic Development respectively, as well as the Managing Director of AKIICORP Pastor Imoabasi Jacob. There could not have been a more compact delegation from a government that has already committed more than words to achieving food sufficiency.
Tracing the food system chain from production to processing, distribution and consumption are already concepts that resonate with Governor Eno’s ARISE Agenda, and mentions that could have in many ways validated the state government efforts. Between ticking the food systems inventories and aligning same with our distinct peculiarities, the African Development Bank team amid the numerous challenges would sure have found out that the Akwa Ibom State Government has already bridged the gap through the free food distribution programme of the Bulk Purchase Agency.
From the farms to post consumption composting, Governor Eno has remained on top of his game ensuring Akwa Ibom people get over the facade of yesteryears to truly and wholly embrace agriculture. In his disapproval of portfolio agriculture, the Governor has shown the direction his administration is headed and spares nothing in appreciation of those who have followed his lead. This need for a homegrown food system must have informed his passion at driving an agricultural policy that admits every citizen as key stakeholders in the agricultural value chain.
The Green house project, Arise Palm Plantation, Ibom Model Farm and several agricultural skill-up programmes, including Local Government farms, mandatory farm ownership by public servants and free work days for civil servants have seen more indigenes of the state engage in agriculture on a productive scale, the current administration has sustained the firepower in ensuring the people grow what they consume. Governor Eno has never reserved his disdain for people who brave the times to buy things they could have grown in their gardens.
Committing these much in pursuit of food sufficiency could have been enough for an administration to pat itself on the back; not Governor Eno, the lead shepherd that understands the people should be in fine fettle between sowing and harvesting. This underscores the dignifying way he reached out to vulnerable families across every community and hamlet of the state, in the free food distribution programme of the Bulk Purchase Agency, at a time people elsewhere scrambled to tatters to get anything. Varied reports of avoidable casualties from other states that attempted any social food programme point to how well thought-out and far-reaching the food initiative in Akwa Ibom State has been.
With the food delivery module where beneficiaries in the first phase got staples including rice, beans and garri from designated traders, came the multiplicity of benefits; the vulnerable families had food, while the traders were on top of the downward economy, losing nothing to the attendant low purchasing power. This has been one programme too many, that has engendered plausible balance in the food systems, a difficult one to suggest as a compassionate food option for climes whose leaders are not resolute at reaching out. Arguably an Akwa Ibom styled solution that possibly worked because of Governor Umo Eno’s knowledge of food as an economic, social and security enabler.
It is September, but feels like Christmas, as optimistic beneficiaries are already awaiting the arrival of the goody van as the State Bulk Purchase Agency has rolled the second phase of the free food programme. As with the first, the Governor who has remained summarily unpredictable in this phase is centralizing the distribution in a bid to ensuring the neediest in our society get the best of what would sustain their livelihood. A prelude to the annual harvest season when families with filled barns and swelled financial fortunes across various rungs of the social ladder would have been counting benefits of yielding the Governor’s back to farm call.
While food conversation on the global stage attains a heated decibel, owing to lack of consensus from growing animosities among large production chains, Akwa Ibom State under Governor Umo Eno, in departure from the grandeur of an expanded war-chest is exploring the advantage of peace building and compassion to keep the people going. Notwithstanding how long it took the globe to arrive at this magnitude of food shortage scare, the ARISE Agenda in a little above one year is dutifully championing defining actions that is making food production at both subsistence and commercial levels, an attractive call.
Expecting the most from the Summit, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Offiong Offor is enthused that the administration ARISE Agenda sits perfectly on what the Africa Food Systems Forum seeks to achieve; providing agriculture the needed focus, learning opportunities and partnerships for the enhancement of food sufficiency. With uncloaked optimism, she is confident that Governor Eno is committed to ensuring agricultural policies in the state are implemented in line with global best practices.
Sir Charles Udoh, the State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism adds that the Kigali summit away from discuss food systems also availed the State an opportunity at x-raying how Akwa Ibom’s expansive culinary offerings could be better package and exported. He calls it “food tourism”, and believes the ongoing efforts at scaling-up the destination Akwa Ibom Campaign must go beyond the beautiful sceneries to what the tourists can eat; a perfect two for the price of one deal.
Long before the 2024 Kigali summit, Governor Eno had discovered the coveted road to Innovating, Accelerating and Scaling: Delivery of food systems transformation in a digital and climate era, with the ARISE Agenda which has continued to in more ways than imagined prioritize agriculture for meaningful livelihood. The post Kigali summit is only an affirmation to deepen our plunge in the plough.
Samuel Ayara writes from Ibong Otoro in Abak LGA.
