Vice President Kashim Shettima has underscored the significance of a strategic alliance between the Nigerian government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Wednesday.
He expressed the need for this partnership to focus on enhancing agricultural productivity, improving nutrition, and strengthening the education sector in Nigeria.
The Vice President based his request on the adverse effects of climate change on agricultural productivity. He highlighted the urgency to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices to ensure food security for Nigeria’s expanding population.
“We are investing heavily in agricultural innovation and best agricultural practices to enhance productivity.
“However, we need the expertise and resources of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate our progress,” Shettima said when he received a delegation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation led by the President of its Global Growth & Opportunity Division, Mr Rodger Voorhies, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Senior Special Assistant to the VP on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed on Wednesday titled ‘Education, skills development panacea for ending poverty, hunger in Nigeria.”
Shettima emphasized the importance of education and skills development in effectively tackling poverty and hunger in Nigeria.
He urged the Foundation to lend its support to President Bola Tinubu’s gender empowerment initiatives, as he believed they were crucial in Nigeria’s efforts to alleviate poverty.
While stating the importance of education and skills development in addressing poverty and hunger, he urged the foundation to collaborate with the Nigerian government in expanding access to quality education and further providing opportunities for skills development, particularly in the agricultural sector.
“By the end of the century, we are projected to be the most populous nation on earth. This demographic bulge can be transformed into a dividend or a disaster
“Investing in education and skills development is crucial for ensuring that our growing population becomes a source of strength and not a burden,” he stated.