Vice President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria is determined to achieve food sovereignty through mechanisation, climate-smart agriculture, high-yield seeds and modern farming practices.

He also announced plans to plant 20 billion trees from the next rainy season, drawing lessons from Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative, which combines environmental restoration with economic and livelihood benefits.

Shettima spoke during a tour of farms and agricultural facilities in Oromia, Ethiopia, where he highlighted the importance of food security to national sovereignty.

A text of the vice president presentation during the tour was made available to newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

Shettima  said countries that depended heavily on external food sources risked compromising their sovereignty, stressing that self-sufficiency in food production was essential to national independence.

“Food dependency compromises our sovereignty.

“Without independence in food production, a nation remains incomplete in its sovereignty,” he said.

The vice-president said cooperation between Nigeria and Ethiopia could significantly strengthen Africa’s food security, describing Ethiopia’s agricultural transformation as a model worthy of emulation.

He identified agriculture as an area of mutual advantage for both countries, urging them to learn from each other’s successes for the benefit of their citizens.

“I am overwhelmed with joy that the real economic renaissance of Africa is in the offing,” Shettima said.

He described Ethiopia as a frontrunner in Africa’s quest to reclaim its pride, adding that Nigeria was determined to achieve similar progress in agricultural production.

“Ethiopia has become the pathfinder, the frontrunner in our quest to reclaim our pride and our continent. We are mightily proud of them.

“Africa must learn to feed itself. Ethiopia is doing it, and Nigeria is on course to do the same. Ethiopia is a success story worthy of emulation,” he said.

Shettima urged African countries to adopt Ethiopia’s agricultural framework to strengthen food production and achieve food sovereignty across the continent.

He said the proposed tree-planting campaign would require extensive planning, energy and public participation, citing Ethiopia’s success in mobilising its population for the initiative.

“We will embark on a massive tree-planting campaign in the next rainy season and we intend to plant 20 billion trees.

“It requires a lot of planning, energy and drive, which Ethiopia was able to galvanise its population into doing,” he added.

Shettima said the programme would promote environmental restoration and create employment opportunities while drawing from Ethiopia’s experience.

He added that the combined population and economic potential of Nigeria and Ethiopia could generate significant benefits for Africa.

“With a population of 100 million people, and a combined population with Nigeria of over 400 million, Ethiopia’s success will reverberate across the length and breadth of East and Southern Africa,” he said.

Earlier, President of the Oromia Regional State, Shimelis Abdisa, outlined the region’s agricultural achievements and the sector’s contribution to Ethiopia’s economy.

Abdisa said more than 200 crop varieties were cultivated across Ethiopia, while the country had expanded agricultural exports, including bananas, avocados and coffee.

He said wheat production alone generated more than 3.1 billion dollars annually for the country, adding that Ethiopian wheat remained competitive in the international market.

Newsmen report that Shettima visited wheat, banana and papaya farms during the tour, examining Ethiopia’s agricultural production systems and efforts to expand food production.