Echoes of Change, an NGO, has called for the swift ratification of the Nasarawa State Agricultural Policy (SAP) and the Nasarawa State Agricultural Investment Plan (SAIP).
Ummi Waziri, Founder and Executive Director of the NGO, made the appeal on Wednesday in Keffi at a press conference on the newly developed policy documents.
She described the documents as crucial frameworks for strengthening the state’s food system and driving agricultural transformation.
Waziri said that the SAP and SAIP, developed through an evidence-based and result-driven process involving government agencies, traditional institutions, private sector players and development partners, would serve as a blueprint for modernising agriculture in the state.
She said that the ratification was necessary to give legal backing to the documents, strengthen coordination, promote sustainable financing and ensure that all interventions contribute meaningfully to the state’s agricultural goals.
According to her, development partners should align their support with the implementation of the policy frameworks, while youth, women and vulnerable groups should take advantage of opportunities embedded in the policies.
“For the first time, youth and women are not only seen as beneficiaries but as a sustainable and substantial part of these policies,” she said.
Waziri further urged the private sector to invest in value chains, storage and logistics, and called on the media to amplify awareness in order to accelerate adoption and implementation.
She described the validation of the policy documents by stakeholders as a significant milestone for Nasarawa State, adding that Echoes of Change remained committed to supporting government efforts to ensure the policies translate into real and lasting impact.
Waziri, therefore, urged the State Executive Council to expedite action on ratifying the policies.
She also called on the State House of Assembly to domesticate the Fertilizer Quality Control Act and the National Agricultural Seed Control Act,
Waziri maintained that the laws were vital to safeguarding farmers and improving market systems.
“Food security is national security, and Nasarawa State must lead,” she added.
On his part, Mr Umar Tanko-Tunga, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, assured of government’s commitment to implement the policies.(NAN)