Engineers seek technology-driven solutions to Nigeria’s food crisis

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE)has called for greater deployment of technology, infrastructure and innovation to tackle Nigeria’s food insecurity and move the country towards zero hunger.

The President of the NSE, Engr Ali Alimasuya Rabiu, made the call while declaring open the 2026 Engineering Week and Annual General Meeting of the NSE Abuja Branch in Abuja.

Rabiu, who was represented by the Deputy President of the NSE, Engr Valerie Ifueko Agberagba, said engineering must play a central role in transforming Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.

The event was held under the theme, “Engineering Resilience: Transforming Agricultural Value Chain Technological Integration in Modern Agriculture for National Food Security in Nigeria – Engineering the Path to Zero Hunger.”

Rabiu said Nigeria had enormous agricultural potential, but noted that the sector remained constrained by inadequate mechanisation, irrigation, storage, processing, transportation, energy, logistics and digital technology.

“This is where engineering must rise to the occasion,” he said.

He urged engineers to move beyond traditional professional boundaries and embrace the entire agricultural value chain, from production and processing to preservation, packaging, transportation, distribution and market access.

He said engineers must develop appropriate mechanisation technologies, smart irrigation systems, renewable energy solutions, efficient storage facilities, cold-chain infrastructure, digital agricultural platforms and modern processing systems.

According to him, such interventions would help reduce post-harvest losses and increase the value of agricultural production.

He, however, stressed that technologies developed for the sector must be affordable, adaptable, sustainable and accessible to smallholder farmers.

“The journey towards zero hunger therefore requires more than good intentions. It requires science, technology, innovation, investment, policy consistency and engineering excellence,” Rabiu said.

He urged participants at the Engineering Week to ensure that discussions translated into practical ideas and implementable solutions to Nigeria’s food security challenges.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Marcus O Ogunbiyi, said engineering was fundamental to solving the challenges confronting Nigeria’s agricultural and food systems.

Ogunbiyi, who was the guest speaker, said engineering was about solving problems systematically, improving efficiency, managing risks and translating knowledge into practical outcomes.

“Our challenge is therefore not simply to produce more food. It is to design and operate a food system that can reliably produce enough nutritious food, move it efficiently, process and preserve it, make it affordable, create value for farmers, generate employment, withstand climate and economic shocks, and ensure that no Nigerian is left behind,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary said food security went beyond food availability, stressing that Nigerians must also have access to affordable and nutritious food.

He identified poor access to inputs and finance, degraded agricultural land, inadequate rural roads, post-harvest losses, insufficient storage facilities, weak processing capacity and poorly organised markets as some of the challenges threatening food security.

He said Nigeria’s ambition must go beyond producing enough food to survive.

“We must build an agricultural system that feeds Nigeria, employs Nigeria, industrialises Nigeria and competes globally,” Ogunbiyi said.

He called for a transition from farms to value chains, value chains to industries and industries to prosperity.

“The ultimate destination is a Nigeria where no child goes to bed hungry; where farmers earn dignified incomes; where young people see agriculture as a modern profession; where technology makes farming more productive and less risky; where food is affordable and nutritious,” he said.

Also, the Chairman of the NSE Abuja Branch, Engr Ahmed A.S.Y. Kutigi, described food security as an engineering challenge requiring technological innovation and resilient infrastructure.

Kutigi said nations that had conquered hunger and achieved sustainable food sovereignty embedded engineering principles in their agricultural systems.

He said Nigeria’s vast arable land, favourable climatic conditions and industrious population gave the country the potential to become the food basket of Africa.

However, he noted that post-harvest losses and outdated farming practices continued to undermine agricultural productivity, national security and economic stability.

“As engineers, problem-solvers and nation-builders, we cannot afford to remain passive observers. We must rise to the occasion by transforming traditional farming into a precision-driven, technology-integrated and climate-smart enterprise,” Kutigi said.

He identified infrastructure for food security, precision agriculture and smart farming, renewable energy in agro-processing, and climate-smart engineering as key areas for discussion during the Engineering Week.

According to him, the NSE would examine the use of Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, remote sensing and automated machinery to improve resource utilisation and agricultural yields.

Kutigi also advocated the use of solar, biomass and wind energy to power irrigation systems, cold-chain facilities and agro-processing plants in rural communities.

He said engineers must develop infrastructure capable of addressing the effects of climate change, including erratic rainfall, desertification and soil erosion.

The NSE Abuja chairman urged participants to formulate actionable recommendations that would provide practical engineering solutions to Nigeria’s food security challenges.

Meanwhile, Rabiu invited engineers, policymakers, researchers, academics, development partners, industry leaders and security experts to the NSE 2026 International Engineering Conference and Annual General Meeting scheduled for November 30 to December 4 in Maiduguri, Borno State.

The conference is themed, “Engineering Innovation for Enhanced Security and Sustainable National Development.”

Rabiu said the event would provide a platform for stakeholders to explore engineering-driven solutions to Nigeria’s security and development challenges.

He disclosed that the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, had accepted to deliver the keynote address, while the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, had also confirmed their participation.