Benue partners UK-backed project on food security
The Benue State government has moved to strengthen food security and peace building as it partners the Nigeria Food Security Project (NFSP) on a UK Aid–funded pilot intervention targeting conflict prone communities in the state. Our correspondent reports that the partnership was unveiled yesterday in Makurdi during a stakeholders’ consultative workshop organised by the Supply […]
The Benue State government has moved to strengthen food security and peace building as it partners the Nigeria Food Security Project (NFSP) on a UK Aid–funded pilot intervention targeting conflict prone communities in the state.
Our correspondent reports that the partnership was unveiled yesterday in Makurdi during a stakeholders’ consultative workshop organised by the Supply Chain Research and Innovation Hub (SCRIH) under the SPRiNG Project, where plans were presented for the development of a State Strategic Food Security Plan for Benue.
The three-month pilot project will be implemented in Agatu, Logo and Gwer-West Local Government Areas, with a focus on boosting food security, enhancing climate resilience and addressing conflict drivers linked to agriculture and livelihoods.
Project Coordinator of NFSP, Dr. Shalem Shiekuma, said the engagement marked a critical step towards formal collaboration with the Benue State government through the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant agencies.
He explained that the project seeks to support the state in developing and validating a comprehensive food security plan through inclusive, multi-stakeholder processes, while also implementing pilot community interventions in selected LGAs.
Shiekuma stated that discussions at the workshop centred on reviewing a Memorandum of Understanding, clarifying programme objectives, logistics and administrative concerns, as well as outlining areas of cooperation across food security, climate resilience and peace building.
“The aim of this pilot is to develop a strategic food security plan that will be adopted by the Benue State Government and applied to other peace and resilience initiatives,” Shiekuma said.
He noted that the project would also conduct a Conflict and Food Security Audit to study the key drivers of food insecurity and violence in the state, and undertake joint analyses of target communities based on conflict incidence, agro-ecological factors and institutional readiness.
Shiekuma stressed that the pilot phase would help identify gaps and lessons for future scale-up, adding that funding for the project would be provided by SPRiNG, a UK Aid-supported initiative, and not by the state government.
Earlier, the Benue State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Benjamin Ashaver, said the success of the initiative depended on active stakeholder participation, urging ministries, agencies and partners to contribute meaningfully to ensure outcomes that would improve food production, stability and livelihoods in the state.