The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has tasked the Combined National Project Steering Committee, NPSC, with delivering on its mandate, saying it will transform the agricultural ecosystem and achieve food security, economic diversification and inclusive prosperity.
The minister made this known during the combined NPSC meeting held at the Ministry’s Conference Room in Abuja on Thursday.
Kyari stated that, ‘’It is a strategic committee that sits at the intersection of policy authority, development financing, and the national imperative to secure the future of nation’s food systems’’.
He emphasised that, ‘’It is important to state that this committee is not ceremonial. It is a governing body that shapes the direction, credibility, and impact of the Federal Government of Nigeria and development partners supported agricultural programmes in Nigeria’’.
He revealed that, ‘’the Ministry has resolved to exercise its oversight mandate with renewed firmness, zero tolerance for inefficiency, and uncompromising accountability. The era of business-as-usual is over, Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, programmes must be aligned, performance must be measurable, and outcomes must be visible to the Nigerian people’’.
The minister added that, ‘’the approvals we give, the standards we enforce, and the discipline we demand will determine whether public resources translate into national transformation or remain trapped in paperwork and process’’.
He further disclosed that, ‘’In line with this direction, I am pleased to announce that the Ministry has taken a decisive institutional step to elevate the authority and effectiveness of the Projects Coordinating Unit, PCU, to a full-fledged department of Development Partnership Projects’’.
According to him, ‘’This is not a cosmetic adjustment, It is a deliberate restructuring to strengthen supervision, tighten coordination, enforce standards, and entrench results-based management across all development partners–supported programmes. The message is simple: projects must perform, or they will be restructured’’.
He noted that, ‘’as we examine the 2026 Annual Workplans and Budgets, AWPB, it is important to state that this committee will no longer treat AWPB approvals as routine formal. Every proposal before us must demonstrate clear alignment with national priorities, food security, productivity enhancement, value chain development, youth engagement, and inclusive economic growth.
‘’These are not optional goals; they are the core pillars of the Renewed Hope Agenda. Budgets must speak to impact, not intentions. Activities must deliver value, not volume’’, the minister added.
He stressed that, ‘’we will strengthen the practice of Government-led pre-missions, involving relevant technical teams, to support projects teams ahead of main supervision missions.
‘’These pre-missions will enable early identification of gaps, facilitate timely corrective actions, and ensure that supervision missions are more strategic, solution-oriented and aligned with government priorities that will reach the final beneficiaries’’.
He said that, ‘’development partners–supported programmes, guided by this Committee, remain critical instruments for achieving the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda’’.
The minister reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to transform the agricultural sector as a key driver of food security, economic diversification and inclusive prosperity.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, said that “the committee is the apex oversight and governance platform for development partners–supported projects under the Ministry”.
Ogunbiyi commended the minister for his leadership and strategic direction in steering the ministry’s engagement in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda towards advancing national food security, agricultural productivity and rural transformation, among others.
Agric Minister tasks committee on food security, economic diversification
