• We’re deploying AI to boost agriculture, says Shettima
Nigeria and other African nations have renewed calls for urgent, collective action to tackle rising food insecurity across the continent and beyond, with Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasising the country’s shift toward modern agricultural technologies to combat the crisis.
Speaking at the opening of the United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) yesterday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Shettima said Nigeria was leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), geospatial analytics, and satellite-driven climate intelligence to revolutionise its food production systems.
Shettima warned that food insecurity had become a global scourge that no longer hid in distant lands, stressing the need for a united front to address it.
According to the Vice President,Nigeria’s food security strategy is anchored on policy reforms, sectoral partnerships, and agro-industrialisation aimed at inclusive growth. This includes targeted investments through Nigeria’s National Food Systems Transformation Pathway and the rollout of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones in collaboration with the African Development Bank and IFAD.
Shettima also highlighted Nigeria’s Presidential Initiative on Food Security, which prioritises climate-smart innovations, financial inclusion for smallholder farmers, and expanded agricultural extension services, particularly for women and youth.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a recorded message, noted that food systems were inextricably tied to issues of climate, justice, and economic equity.
AT another forum, experts have identified Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a vital tool to combat the rising trend of corporate greenwashing and promote authentic sustainability practices through verifiable and data-driven reporting.
This was disclosed at the 2025 Sustainability Innovations Conference (SIC), held over the weekend in Lagos.
Organised by the Centre of Excellence for Innovation and Leadership (CEIL), the forum brought together experts, industry leaders, and technology innovators to explore how digital technologies could curb misleading environmental claims and strengthen accountability.
Speaking at the event, themed: ‘Utilising AI and Digitalisation for the Prevention of Greenwashing in Sustainable Cycles,’the Deputy President, Safety, Sustainability and Disaster Risk Management Expert, Dr Fyneray Mbata, said it was no longer enough for organisations to merely declare sustainability intentions without credible proof.
According to him, AI and digital technologies now offer the means to track, report, verify, and validate sustainability metrics, enabling more transparent business practices and measurable impact.
He described the conference as a platform to foster collaboration and transformation, noting that sustainability, when driven by technology, offers not just environmental value but economic opportunity.
Convener and Director General/CEO of SIC, Dr Julius Akpong, decried what he called “surface washing,” a situation where companies present a public image of environmental responsibility while doing little in practice.
