Mrs. Chinwe Maduike, an International Consultant/Special Adviser on Investment, Diaspora and Development Partners to the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU ECOSOCC) Nigeria, has stated that Nigeria’s agricultural value chain has remained highly under-developed, a situation that negativelyimpacted on the agricultural sector, and resulted in huge revenue loss to Nigeria.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Maduike lamented that raw materials from agricultural sector are often exported without any value addition.
According to her, “AU ECOSOCC recognises the fact that most raw materials from the sector are exported without any value addition, resulting in loss of huge revenues and jobs.
“Agricultural value chains hold considerable promise in reducing poverty and promoting inclusive growth when the poor and other marginal groups participate in them.
“Under the right conditions, value chains can move small-holder farmers from subsistence into commercial agriculture.
“Our projects aim to achieve self-sufficiency and deepen diversification, increasing private sector participation, the quality and safety standards of agricultural products, improving institutional and financial frameworks, promoting national policies that support the agricultural sector; by reducing barriers to inputs, increasing access to finance and providing incentives, creating an enabling environment and improving market access through capacity building and training inputs.”
She underscored the need for massive investments in the sector to increase production and create value addition in the sector, adding that the ongoing projects initiated by ECOSOCC were designed to addressing the gaps discovered, through the help of key, government ministries, international partners and experts in the agricultural field.
The Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) is an advisory body of the African Union designed to give civil society organisations (CSOs) a voice within the AU institutions and decision-making processes.
