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- Caribbean countries offer to collaborate with Nigeria to achieve food security
Caribbean countries are expressing their readiness to share their expertise and skills in agriculture with Nigeria to support its food production. Dr. Levi Odoe, Honorary Consular General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in Nigeria emphasized the need for bilateral relations between Nigeria and the Caribbean to focus on agriculture, in addition to the oil and gas sector, as food security has become a global concern. He urged the Nigerian government to revive subsistence farming and encourage citizens to grow their own food, citing backyard gardens as an example.
Odoe also highlighted opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs to expand their exports to Caribbean countries through South-South Cooperation. Some Nigerian businesses have already taken advantage of this initiative, exporting goods to countries like Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, and Guyana. He also noted that some Caribbean countries have leased land in Nigeria for agricultural purposes, shipping produce back to their countries.
Odoe emphasized the need to remove bottlenecks hindering trade relations between the Caribbean and Africa, citing direct flight routes as an example. With existing good relations between Nigeria and Caribbean countries, Odoe expressed optimism about the potential for increased cooperation. He noted that Nigerian products, as a member of the WTO, can be exported to Caribbean, South, and Latin American countries.
Odoe emphasized the importance of removing bottlenecks in trade relationships between the Caribbean and Africa, as Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth. He emphasized the importance of removing bottlenecks and fostering cooperation between the two nations.