Nigeria donates 2,000 cashew seedlings to Ethiopia

As part of efforts to deepen agricultural cooperation and strengthen food security across Africa, Nigeria has donated 2,000 cashew seedlings and 100,000 cashew seeds to Ethiopia. The donation, sufficient to cultivate approximately 600 hectares of farmland, was formally received by Ethiopia’s Minister of State for Agriculture, Dr Efa Muleta Boru, ahead of the second United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit to be held in Addis Ababa from July 27 to 29, 2025.Spearheaded under President Bola Tinubu’s agricultural transformation agenda, the green diplomacy initiative reinforces Nigeria’s commitment to leveraging agro-development as a strategic instrument for regional diplomacy and sustainable development.
 
The gesture also reciprocated Ethiopia’s earlier donation to Nigeria in June 2025 of 2,000 Hass Avocado seedlings and 2,000 coffee seedlings, further strengthening a growing partnership between both nations in advancing climate-smart agriculture and resilient food systems.
 
Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima arrived in Addis Ababa on Saturday to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the high-level summit. His aircraft landed at about 4:26 p.m. local time at Bole International Airport, where he was received by Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, alongside senior officials from the Nigerian Embassy in Ethiopia. 

Shortly after arrival, the Vice President met with members of Nigeria’s delegation, including Ambassador Nasir Aminu (Chargé d’Affaires) and the Technical Assistant to the President on Agriculture and Executive Secretary of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), Marion Moon, who briefed him on Nigeria’s agenda at the summit.
 
Shettima is expected to participate in key roundtables and high-level sessions on transforming the global coffee value chain, as well as policy discussions focused on trade, public finance, and responsible investment to drive sustainable food systems reform.
 
At a recent pre-summit briefing, the Vice President outlined Nigeria’s three key objectives: to position the country as a thought leader on African food systems reform; to build international partnerships aligned with domestic priorities; and to advance a private sector-led model of agricultural transformation across the continent.