Communique: a 2-day National Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the 2024 Agriculture Budget
ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Oxfam, ONE Campaign and the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development of the ECOWAS Commission, organised a 2-day National Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the 2024 Agriculture Budget held at Dover Hotel, Lagos, 24th –25th July 2023.
The National Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the 2024 Agriculture Budget is aimed at facilitating conversations amongst key stakeholders connecting the continental framework, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) targets and Government intentions within the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) in Nigeria and strengthening citizens’ participation towards making 2024 Agriculture budget responsive for food security and wealth creation.
It provided stakeholders the opportunity especially smallholder women farmers to participate in agriculture policy and budget formulation processes resulting to changes in priority budget line items that are pro-poor and even in the approach of government’s implementation of programmes and projects.
A total number of 102 participants attended (51 physical while 46 participants actively participated in the event through Zoom in all 2 days).The participants included Senators, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), State Ministries of Budget and Economic Planning, and State Ministries of Agriculture and representative of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF). Also present were – members of Farmers’ Organizations, representatives of Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), and the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS). ONE Campaign, Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Solidaridad, FAO, ECOWAS Commission, CAADP Non-State Actors Coalition (CNC), National Agricultural Seed Council, Media, Academia, Research & members of the various Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) were also present.