Agric sector employs 38 percent of total working population – NACCIMA
The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has described the agricultural sector as a major and very important sector of the economy that employs about 38percent of the total working population and accounts for a large share of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The National President of NACCIMA, Hajiya Saratu Iya Aliyu, who spoke at the conference, noted that recent success in the sector had demonstrated that with the right policies, Nigeria can scale up productive activities, improve food production and food security as well as make impact within the agricultural value chain.
Hajiya Saratu, who was represented by the Chairman, NACCIMA Agric Trade Group, Chief Ade Adefeko, said that the African Development Bank stated that about $35billion is spent on food imports annually across the continent despite the fact that Africa is home to two-third of the world’s most arable uncultivated land.
She commended the collaborative efforts of the Daily Trust newspaper and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) for successfully hosting the 3rd edition of the conference, which she said has grown to become an important forum for Nigeria’s Agriculture and its value chain; a useful platform that brings farmers, investors, financiers as well as SMEs together.
