The African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed $134 million to support Nigeria's efforts in cultivating essential crops such as rice, maize, cassava, and soybeans, aiming to enhance food production amidst ongoing hardship.

Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, President of the bank, made this announcement on Saturday following his visit to the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA) at Bayero University, Kano where he was honored.

Adesina revealed that the AfDB's funding will support Nigeria in cultivating 300,000 hectares of rice and maize, along with 150,000 hectares of cassava and 50,000 hectares of soybeans for the 2024 planting season.

"In March, the AfDB is supporting Nigeria to cultivate 118,000 hectares of heat-tolerant varieties of wheat and another 150,000 hectares of maize," Adesina stated. "We live in an era of climate change and yet only three per cent of African agriculture is under irrigation. We have to make sure we help our farmers with information that is timely and appropriate. We have no alternative but to adapt to climate change; adopt better ways of using water, particularly in the cultivation of dryland crops that are more resilient and tolerant."

Additionally, the AfDB plans to provide grants to the CDA and collaborate with them to develop a center focused on weather pattern predictions and information collection, enabling farmers to plant more effectively.

"We will work with the center to become one of the centers of excellence in technology. We will also support youths to develop their business ideas into reality with our $20,000 grant on AgriPitch and AgriHacking," Adesina added.

Key Points:
- Nigeria is currently facing unprecedented food inflation, standing at 35.41% according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, leading to quadrupled food prices, food crisis, and nationwide protests.
- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a generous donation of 25,000 tons of wheat from the Government of Ukraine, which will help provide emergency food assistance to 1.3 million crisis-affected people in Nigeria.
- The donation was made possible through collaborative efforts from the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Republic of Korea, and Sweden, covering the costs of transporting the wheat from Ukraine to Nigeria and its distribution to families in need.
- Deadly conflicts have displaced millions of households in Nigeria from their homes and farmlands, negatively affecting food production and supply.