President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has called on the Nigerian government to address the root causes of insecurity by expanding economic opportunities in rural communities. He said meaningful reforms targeting poverty and youth unemployment are essential for achieving long-term peace and national stability.
Speaking during an exclusive interview on Sunrise Daily aired on Channels Television, Adesina emphasized that insecurity is closely linked to socio-economic deprivation, particularly in rural areas where joblessness and poverty are widespread.
The former Minister of Agriculture cited the $538 million first phase of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs)—launched Tuesday in Kaduna as a pivotal step in addressing these challenges. The initiative aims to transform Nigeria’s agricultural sector by unlocking production potential, strengthening value chains, and creating sustainable livelihoods in regions affected by conflict and instability.
“When you have all of these zones, you will be creating a massive number of jobs, because a lot of people who went into the criminal economy are jobless,” Adesina said. “If people don’t have jobs and then they turn the criminal economy into jobs, that’s not the economy that you want.”
He warned that efforts to combat insecurity will remain insufficient without structural reforms that tackle deep-seated poverty and rural unemployment.
“Unless and until you deal with this issue of high poverty structurally, and the high level of unemployment among young people many of them in rural areas we are not going to get out of that,” Adesina cautioned.
According to him, the SAPZs will not only support national food security objectives but also provide real economic prospects for farmers and SMEs, helping to restore hope and reduce the appeal of criminal activities.
The AfDB president’s remarks come as Nigeria grapples with rising insecurity in various regions, with analysts and development experts repeatedly stressing the importance of economic inclusion and job creation in achieving peace.
