The Federal Government has commenced the second phase of the review of agricultural laws as part of efforts to replace obsolete provisions with a modern legal framework capable of driving food sovereignty, sustainable agriculture and agribusiness-led economic growth.
Director, Legal Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Hafsat Dupe Belgore, represented by the Assistant Legal Adviser, Manbyen Mamvong, disclosed this in Abuja at the opening of the Second Phase of the Stakeholders’ Technical Retreat on the Review of Nigeria’s Agricultural Laws.
Belgore said the first phase involved a comprehensive diagnostic mapping of existing agricultural legislation and was conducted through extensive stakeholder consultations.
She stated that the exercise identified obsolete provisions, overlapping mandates, regulatory gaps and areas where existing laws no longer reflected current realities, including climate change, mechanisation, agricultural technology, private-sector investment and the transformation of food systems.
She described the second phase as more critical, as it would move the process from diagnosis to concrete legal reform.
Belgore explained that the phase had three major objectives: to validate findings and draft reform proposals from the first phase; obtain sector-specific contributions to strengthen the reforms; and align the proposed legal framework with the Renewed Hope Agenda, relevant national laws and international best practices.
She said the retreat was intended to refine and interrogate the draft provisions to ensure that the resulting laws were practical, enforceable and inclusive.
‘We are here to refine, to interrogate draft provisions, and to ensure that the new legal framework we are crafting is practical, enforceable, inclusive, and capable of driving Nigeria towards food sovereignty and agribusiness-led economic growth,’ she said.
The director urged participants to be frank, constructive and forward-looking, assuring them that their contributions would be captured and reflected in robust legal drafts.
She also commended the minister, permanent secretary, development partners, legal experts and other stakeholders for their contributions to the reform process.
Speaking on behalf of the Chairman House Committee on Agricultural Production Services, Honourable. Bello Ka’oje, the deputy Chairman, R. Kelechi Nwogu, said the review of the 18 agricultural laws was important to ensuring that Nigeria’s legal framework remained relevant to emerging realities and opportunities in the agricultural sector.
He said the National Assembly was committed to working with the ministry and other stakeholders to ensure that the outcome of the review translated into practical and effective legislation.
Also speaking, the Consultant and Lead Partner, Thinkfield Law, Emeka Ogenyi, said the retreat would enable stakeholders to validate the proposed amendments to the 1 agricultural laws and incorporate approved inputs into the final document.
Ogenyi said the final harmonised version would subsequently be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Justice for legal drafting.
He explained that the proposed amendments were aimed at establishing a modern, coherent and fit-for-purpose agricultural legal framework capable of supporting sustainable agricultural development and attracting investment into the sector.
The retreat brought together members of the National Assembly, representatives of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, directors of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, representatives of agencies under the ministry, legal experts, resource persons and other stakeholders.