By Queen Kunde
The Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Koffy Dominique Kouacou, has assured the members of the National Committee for Family Farming (NCFF) Nigeria of their commitment to fulfilling its mandate under the United Nations Decade for Family Farming (2019-2028)
Mr. Koffy Dominique Kouacou, stated this during the visit of members of the National Committee for Family Farming in his office at the United Nations, (UN) House Abuja Nigeria Today.
Speaking through the FAO Country Resource Mobilization Officer, Mr Braimah Tofiq, the Country Representative explained that United Nations Decade for Family Farming and a National Action Plan (NAP) development remains a role the United Nations (UN) is committed to.
He said the FAO will consider providing the NCFF Nigeria with technical and funding support, while promising to harness other key stakeholders within the UN system in order to ensure the decade objectives is attained.
Kouacou lauded the NCFF Nigeria for the task that they have so far accomplished and charged them to remain committed to their mandate on achieving the decade objectives.
Speaking further, the FAO, pledged to assist in linking the NCFF Nigeria with the Agricultural Donor Working Group (ADWG) in order to fine-tune discussions, seeking possibilities of multiple sponsorship of the NCFF Nigeria’s multifaceted objectives before the end of the Decade.
Earlier in his remarks, the National Coordinator of the NCFF Nigeria, Mr Raymond Nyayiti Enoch who thank the FAO Team for playing host to the NCFF Nigeria, said they were at the FAO office to canvass for technical and funding support in order to achieve the objectives for which National Committee for Family Farming (NCFFs) were established prior to the commencement of the decade in 2014.
He revealed that the FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development ( IFAD) and other Rome Based Agencies have been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) since May 28-29th 2019 to support this process at the country levels , hence it has embarked on the interface with the FAO and other UN systems in Nigeria as well as other critical stakeholders including Federal Government of Nigeria in order collaborate to fashion out modalities for fulfilling these mandate of the United Nations.
Mr Enoch reiterated the commitment of the member organizations of the NCFF Nigeria which comprise of farmer’s organizations, pastoralist, producers’ groups, Civil Society and cooperative society organizations in their sustained actions to achieve the objectives for which United Nations Decade for Family Farming was launched in 2019.
He emphasized that Agricultural Donor Working Group remains an institutional support platform that NCFF hopes to have their support in order to achieve the elaboration and implementation of UNDFF.
Enoch expressed the appreciation of the NCFF to the FAO and UN systems in Nigeria especially those working on Agriculture, Food and Nutrition security for their support in the evolution and engagements at both National and Sub-National levels in Nigeria.
The meeting was attended by staffs of the FAO, NCFF members and representative of the Benue State Government.
