In his valedictory lecture after a commendable five-year tenure, Celestine Ikuenobe, the executive director of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), emphasized the critical issue of food insecurity in Africa.
He revealed that over 140 million people in the continent are facing acute food insecurity, with one out of every five Africans going to bed hungry. Ikuenobe’s lecture, titled “Riding the Crest in Time, Tide, and Stage,” shed light on the challenges faced by farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, including inefficient farming methods, poor seeds, fragile soil, and limited access to inputs.
Citing the 2022 global hunger index, Ikuenobe highlighted that many African countries, including Nigeria, experienced severe to alarming levels of hunger. He pointed out that Nigeria’s agricultural sector faced challenges due to poorly resourced research, inadequate funding, weak infrastructure, and limited human resource capacity. He stressed the urgent need to retool and strengthen the nation’s research system to deliver innovations and knowledge, fostering a vibrant agricultural sector.
Despite these challenges, Ikuenobe acknowledged the positive impact of research and innovation outcomes on Nigeria’s agricultural sector, leading to improved crop varieties, animal breeds, and production methods. He expressed gratitude to NIFOR staff for their dedication and support during his tenure.
Governor Godwin Obaseki, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Stephen Idehenre, commended Ikuenobe for his efforts in advancing the oil palm sector in the state. Obaseki highlighted NIFOR’s role in the establishment of the state oil palm program, which allocated approximately 62,000 hectares of land to investors for oil palm plantation, contributing to the state’s agricultural growth.
Ikuenobe’s valedictory lecture underscored the challenges faced by the agricultural sector in Africa, emphasizing the need for robust research, innovation, and support to address food insecurity and promote sustainable agriculture in the continent.
