UN Food Summit: Nigeria, African Leaders Push Collective Action to End Hunger as EU Denies Aid Cuts
By Okafor Joseph | July 29, 2025 | SpringnewsNG Media Limited
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Nigeria and other African nations have called for urgent collective action and global cooperation to tackle rising food insecurity, as leaders converge at the United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented Nigeria, outlined bold agricultural reforms powered by artificial intelligence, geospatial analytics, and climate-smart solutions to combat hunger and build resilient food systems.
“A broken food system anywhere diminishes the dignity of humanity as a whole,” Shettima said.
“We must rise with shared purpose to ensure that no child sleeps on an empty stomach and no farmer is forgotten.”
Nigeria Scales Up Climate-Smart Agriculture
Shettima highlighted Nigeria’s National Food Systems Transformation Pathway and the Presidential Initiative on Food Security, which focus on:
- Scaling cultivation of key staples like maize, rice, cassava, and wheat
- Empowering smallholder farmers with financial inclusion and extension services
- Developing Special Agro‑Industrial Processing Zones to link farmers to global markets
- Deploying AI and satellite-driven climate intelligence to boost yields and cut waste
The vice president emphasized that agriculture must embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution to achieve sustainable food security amid climate change and global economic headwinds.
African Leaders Demand Climate‑Aligned Financing
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged for predictable concessional finance to accelerate Africa’s agricultural transformation.
“Hunger and environmental degradation are deeply linked,” Ahmed said.
“Africa must invest in local production, rural transformation, and resilient food systems.”
UN Secretary‑General António Guterres, in a video message, warned that global hunger is rising, with climate change destroying harvests and supply chains. He called for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable food systems anchored in human rights.
EU Denies Cutting Humanitarian Support to Nigeria
Amid reports by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) that Northern Nigeria faces a severe malnutrition crisis due to reduced donor funding, the European Union dismissed claims of aid withdrawal.
The EU Delegation in Nigeria clarified that humanitarian assistance in 2025 is consistent with 2024 levels, particularly in nutrition, health, and emergency food aid, with plans for additional top-ups.
“The EU is keeping its financial commitments and continues to support Nigerian children and mothers affected by malnutrition,” the statement read.
The EU also emphasized the importance of accurate communication to maintain donor confidence as Nigeria battles its nutrition and food security emergency, especially in the North‑West and North‑East regions.
The Road Ahead
African leaders left the summit with a renewed pledge to align climate finance, agricultural innovation, and policy reforms to tackle the continent’s food insecurity crisis.
Shettima reaffirmed that Nigeria is ready to listen, learn, and lead, committing to food systems that are climate‑resilient, nutrition‑focused, and rooted in local realities.
