NSE pushes regional collaborations to ensure food security in Africa

The President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mr Ali Rabiu, has urged stronger regional collaboration among engineers to address food security challenges across Africa.Rabiu made the appeal while addressing the 56th Annual Engineering Conference of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) on Tuesday.Rabiu said that engineering diplomacy remained critical in tackling continental challenges through shared expertise, innovation and cooperation among professional bodies.He described the conference’s theme, “Engineering the Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture Value Chain” as timely, noting that food security required multidisciplinary engineering solutions.According to him, sustainable agricultural development depends on investments in infrastructure, processing systems, preservation technologies and efficient logistics networks.The NSE president said Africa’s food security challenges are driven by rapid population growth, climate change and systemic inefficiencies.He called on engineers to take the lead in deploying innovative and sustainable solutions.He emphasised that food security was closely linked to human security, warning that socio-environmental conflicts could disrupt agricultural productivity.He stressed the need for stronger collaboration among governments, institutions and professionals to ensure effective policy integration and implementation.He said the NSE remained committed to aligning engineering solutions with national development policies to achieve sustainable impact.Rabiu also reaffirmed the long-standing relationship between NSE and GhIE, describing it as a platform for knowledge exchange and collective problem-solving in Africa.He urged engineers across the continent to play a more active role in nation-building by developing solutions that address socio-economic and environmental challenges.Rabiu said that such efforts would strengthen institutions, promote innovation and enhance sustainable development across Africa.