Blogs

By June Ifebe.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to strengthening agricultural development in the country through inclusive land-based investment in the sector for increased productivity, income generation, and food security in the country.

Land-based investment in Nigeria for a long time has been marred by various challenges ranging from lack of clarity on governance mechanisms; weak administrative support systems for stakeholders; poor data; little or no recognition for inclusion, gender equality, and cultural values; poor engagement with host communities; and disproportionate compensation and resettlement for persons displaced.

These have impacted negatively on the cost of doing business, agriculture value chain, livelihood, environment and ultimately, economic development.

In addressing some of these challenges, the Nigeria Governors' Forum, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance through a $750 million World Bank funded program - State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) program - seeks to promote and support the domestication of a Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land-Intensive Agriculture (FRILIA) at State-level.

Associated reforms include the passage of a legal framework clearly setting out the governance and administrative mechanisms as well as a strong commitment to international and proven principles that guarantee recognition, respect and protection of land rights and human rights.

In the last quarter of 2023, the NGF supported seven states - Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger and Zamfara - through the process of drafting their executive orders and governance structure to support implementation.

Imo, Oyo and Plateau State also leveraged the model templates developed and disseminated by the NGF in drafting their Orders.

Each state's Executive Order, beyond establishing the governance and administrative mechanisms, emphasises the state's commitment to ensuring inclusion and gender equality, environmental and social sustainability, food security, responsible natural resource management amongst others.

To support their efforts at effective implementation of the framework, the NGF organised a three-day workshop from 15th to 17th April 2024, attended by representatives of the FRILIA technical committee of the respective states.

The workshop was kicked off by remarks from the Director General, Asishana Bayo Okauru, SABER National Program Coordinator and Director Home Finance, Federal Ministry of Finance, Dr. Ali Mohammed, and the World Bank SABER Task Team Leader, Bertine Kamphius.

The trio admonished participants to engage the experts in domestication discussions as they go through the building blocks for implementation. Participants were assured of the support of the various organisations as well as the Federal Government.

The states were encouraged to leverage available technical assistance as advisories and capacity building support were free under the SABER program.

The workshop provided further conceptual understanding of the principles, walking through use cases and implementation frameworks domesticated across countries and contexts.

Participants were also provided hypothetical case scenarios where they had to apply the understanding gained and identify domestication pathways for principles and implementation frameworks.

Forerunner states such as Kaduna and Ogun, which were early adopters of FRILIA, were also invited to share implementation experience and lessons. This created an opportunity for peer learning and exchange of ideas on how to do things differently and better.

Discussions at the workshop covered Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), Stakeholder Engagement, Community Needs-Assessment, Environmental and Social Risk Management (ESRM), Land Access, Easement and Involuntary Resettlement Management, Negotiating a Fair Agreement, Valuation and Compensation, Outgrower and Food Security, and Global Memorandum of Understanding.

Participants expressed delight at the opportunity to participate in the workshop, which they described as timely and responsive to the challenges facing land-based intensive investment, especially in the agribusiness sector.

Mrs. Ebuka Blessing Ada, Acting PM Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Imo State, said the knowledge gained would help ensure that Imo State is among the states maintaining FRILIA recommended best practices.

She said the framework, if fully implemented, would encourage investment in land and deepen its impact in agriculture, adding that the workshop helped her understand the importance of community assessment and stakeholder engagement.

Kevin Uwaibi, Director, Edo State Investment Promotional Office, said the training stressed the need for engagement, sustainable investment and collaboration between state governments and communities over investment opportunities.

He added that the workshop created an opportunity for states to compare notes and improve areas where they may be lacking.

Engr. Olugbenga Odesanmi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ekiti State, described the workshop as an eye opener and said Ekiti would explore the framework to address land management issues and poor inflow of investment.

Emmanuel Ogu, Head, Investment Promotion and Research, Niger State Investment and Promotion Agency, said the framework came at the right time and could help Nigeria get land-based agricultural investment right.

He noted that Niger State occupies 10% of Nigeria's land mass and intends to use a large percentage of it to develop and onboard more smallholder farmers with the support of the framework.

The workshop culminated in states developing an implementation plan for FRILIA in their states, mapping out key stakeholders, reform steps, and estimated resourcing required to implement or establish each component and process.

Timelines were also assigned to each activity in the plan for effective monitoring and evaluation of progress.

CC: NGF Help Desk.