The Federal Government has identified education and skills development as panacea for addressing poverty and hunger in Nigeria.
Vice President Kashim Shettima stated this during a meeting with a delegation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation led by the President of its Global Growth and Opportunity Division, Mr. Rodger Voorhies at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday.
He underscored the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and the urgent need to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices to ensure food security for Nigeria’s growing population.
The Vice President urged the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to forge a strategic partnership with the Nigerian government to enhance agricultural productivity, improve nutrition and strengthen the education sector.
He also charged the Foundation to support President Bola Tinubu’s gender empowerment initiatives, noting that the programmes which are focused on the girl child are critical to Nigeria’s drive to alleviate poverty.
Vice President Shettima expressed his appreciation for the foundation’s significant contributions to Nigeria, particularly in the areas of polio eradication and primary healthcare delivery.
Vice President Shettima also emphasized the importance of education and skills development in addressing poverty and hunger, just as he urged the foundation to collaborate with the Nigerian government in expanding access to quality education and further provide opportunities for skills development, particularly in the agricultural sector.
President of the Global Growth and Opportunity division, Rodger Voorhies, said that he and his team were in the country to strengthen existing collaborations with Nigeria and also seek other areas of partnership with the new administration especially in priority sectors.
He commended the Tinubu administration’s agenda on food security and healthcare delivery while acknowledging the Vice President’s leadership and commitment to nutrition and agricultural transformation.
He assured of the foundation’s commitment and readiness to support efforts aimed at achieving set goals and objectives.
