Nigeria and Spain are strengthening bilateral cooperation on food security, nutrition and sustainable livestock development, in a move expected to unlock new investment flows, boost agribusiness value chains and reinforce regional food reserves.
The renewed partnership was the focus of a high-level meeting convened by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and led by Antón Leis García, director of the agency, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The talks brought together senior Nigerian government officials, multilateral development partners and civil society organisations, with discussions centred on financing models, technical cooperation and scalable interventions to address food shortages, climate risks and nutrition deficits.
Speaking on behalf of Idi Mukhtar Maiha, minister of livestock development, Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, permanent secretary to the ministry said Nigeria is repositioning its livestock and food systems to attract private capital, deepen value addition and improve productivity.
She said priority areas include feed and fodder development, rehabilitation of grazing reserves, biosecurity and disease surveillance, and gender inclusion across livestock value chains.
According to her, these reforms are designed to unlock investment, reduce import dependence, improve rural incomes and strengthen national food resilience.
“Nigeria is committed to building a climate-resilient, market-oriented and inclusive livestock ecosystem. Stronger cooperation with Spain and development partners will accelerate sustainable solutions that directly support farmers, agribusinesses, women and vulnerable communities,” she said.
For Spain, the partnership is seen as a strategic investment in regional stability and food systems transformation.
García said climate change, floods, droughts and market shocks are intensifying food insecurity across West Africa, creating an urgent need for knowledge sharing, innovation and locally driven solutions.
He reaffirmed Spain’s commitment to working with the Federal Government of Nigeria, ECOWAS, and development institutions to strengthen food systems, expand nutrition interventions and support inclusive growth.
“There is significant knowledge within the region that must be harnessed and shared. This is both a challenge and an opportunity to build resilient food systems that address immediate needs while creating long-term economic opportunities,” he said.
A major pillar of the partnership is Nigeria’s strategic role in the ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve, under which the country hosts one of the largest storage capacities in West Africa.
This positioning enhances Nigeria’s relevance in regional food logistics, emergency response and cross-border supply coordination, while creating opportunities for investment in warehousing, cold chain infrastructure and commodity aggregation.
Development partners at the meeting, including Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and United Nations Children’s Fund, highlighted the scale of the challenge and the economic risks of inaction.
UNICEF said an estimated 35 million Nigerians across 27 states are projected to face food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, while about three million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition.
The agency warned that malnutrition undermines cognitive development, labour productivity and long-term economic growth, making nutrition investment a critical component of national development strategy.
Participants agreed that reversing current trends will require coordinated public and private sector action, data-driven planning and sustained financing.
They stressed the importance of integrating food production, nutrition delivery, climate adaptation and social protection into a unified policy and investment framework.
For Nigeria, the strengthened partnership with Spain is expected to catalyze new funding channels, technical assistance and private sector participation, as the country seeks to scale agribusiness productivity, stabilize food prices and strengthen regional leadership in food security operations.
