The Plateau State Government has endorsed and launched a strategic food security plan aimed at strengthening the state’s agricultural system and improving food security across communities.
The programme, held recently in Jos, the state capital, was developed under the SPRING Programme and implemented by the Supply Chain Research and Innovation Hub (SCRIH) in collaboration with the Plateau State Government.
Representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development from Mangu, Pankshin and Shendam Local Government Areas, alongside community leaders, researchers and other stakeholders, contributed their expertise and perspectives to the development of the plan.
Speaking at the event, the Regional Programme Manager of SPRING, Mujidang Sitang, said the programme had developed not only a strategic food security plan but also an early warning and early response framework for Plateau State.
Sitang, who was represented by the Regional Grant Officer of SPRING, Tony Mark Yusuf, disclosed that the programme had also trained some security personnel, including personnel of the state’s security outfit, Operation Rainbow.
He described the project as professionally implemented and expressed confidence that the food security plan would provide an effective and sustainable framework for addressing food-related challenges in the state.
Sitang urged the state government not to stop at endorsing the plan but to ensure its full implementation, stressing that it had the potential to help prevent and address food crises across Plateau State.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of SCRIH, Adebayo Adeleke, represented by Yusuf Akorede, said the plan was designed to transform the agricultural landscape by promoting the participation of women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in strengthening food security.
According to him, the initiative would also contribute to Nigeria’s broader food security agenda by providing a framework for coordinated action, effective resource mobilisation and shared accountability.
“The plan we are launching today provides a clear roadmap for coordinated action, effective resource mobilisation and shared accountability.
“However, its success will not be measured by today’s launch, but by the actions we take and the results we achieve together in the months and years ahead,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the Plateau State Government, the Director of Agricultural Services in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Lang Zakka, said the programme and partnership were aimed at improving families, livelihoods and communities across the state.
Zakka said the initiative was also designed to promote peace and security at the community level, noting that food security could not be achieved without peace and security.
He said the project had brought several communities together and contributed to improved security, adding that stakeholders had recorded significant positive outcomes from the intervention.
Zakka assured participants that the state government would take up the remaining responsibilities from where its partners had stopped and ensure that the food security plan moved beyond being a policy document to becoming a fully implemented working framework.
He stressed that the government remained committed to prioritising peace, agricultural development and food security across Plateau communities.