NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON MINISTER OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001548 SIPDIS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED PASS TO USAID AFR/ACTING AA DICKSON-HORTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ETRD EAID BEXP NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE -- A CALL FOR A MORE TARGETED AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. Ambassador Jeter met June 26 with Minister of Agriculture Bello for a discussion of U.S.-Nigeria relations in the agriculture sector. USAID Country Director provided a thorough brief on the range of USG agricultural assistance programs. Minister Bello thought USG efforts were under-funded, too broad in their scope, and undefined in expectations. Ambassador Jeter stressed the need for capacity-building resulting from two decades of policy and resource neglect. Ministry Directors addressed their needs within the limited framework (biotech, vaccines and extension services) for USG assistance as outlined by President Obasanjo during his recent visit to Washington. USAID agreed to consider programs addressing those needs. Minister Bello asserted that certain trade restrictions were necessary and would continue for now. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Ambassador Jeter, USAID Country Director Hobgood and Embassy Economic Section Chief Carrig met June 26 with Minister of Agriculture Adamu Bello, Minister of State Chief Chris Agbobu, and five of the Ministry's Directors at the Minister's Federal Secretariat office for a discussion of U.S.-Nigerian relations, principally in the agriculture sector. Members of the press attended the initial part of the meeting. The session was very cordiale, and the embassy delegation was warmly received. ¶3. (U) Ambassador Jeter opened by noting the importance of Nigeria to the USG,s interests in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria,s size, population, regional influence and engagement make critical a full and progressive relationship between our two nations, he said. The Ambassador continued, pointing out that our USAID program for Nigeria, a significant component of which is in agriculture, was the largest in Africa and that the success of that program is as important to the present Administration was it was to last. ¶4. (SBU) Country Director Hobgood then briefed the Minister on the range of USG agricultural support programs ) both through USAID and U.S. Department of Agriculture ) now underway in Nigeria, noting that they covered many areas. Minister Bello agreed there was broad coverage, but said he was not fully satisfied with both the depth and the focus of much of the USG,s agricultural support assistance. ¶5. (SUB) First, Minister Bellow noted that Nigeria,s ties to the U.S., cultural, historical, economical (primarily through oil exports) and now, political, are sizeable and growing. These relationships, he said, merit a much more robust aid investment on the part of the U.S. He characterized the present commitment as &a mere fraction of the cost of one part of a missile system.8 ¶6. (U) Second, the Minister said he thought that although USG programs were well intentioned, they were more directed toward capacity-building and model construction than toward &measurable8 results. He said his Ministry wanted aid denominated in measurables such as a targeted increase in crop yields, savings in fertilizer, and numbers of farm implements delivered to the field. He noted he had, that day, signed an agreement with the Japanese that followed on an earlier effort, which had met his criteria of &measurable deliverables8. ¶7. (U) Ambassador Jeter followed up on the Minister,s comments by noting there were absolutely essential precursors to proper use and sustained development of the &measureables8 that both he and the Minister would like to see in Nigeria in the feature. He cited the rule of law, transparency, integrity in government and a military that accepts civilian control and direction as critical to a democracy. The Minister accepted that, but noted that with 70 percent of Nigeria,s population living on subsistence agriculture at less than one U.S. dollar per day, there was need enough for a few more immediate &measureables8 along the way to a fully developed democracy. &It isn,t a lack of civics lessons for Army officers that will bring the Army back; it will be the frustration with economic failure by that 70 percent who are hungry that will cause the military to intervene,8 he insisted. ¶8. (U) The Ambassador next recalled President Obasanjo,s comment during his recent Washington visit that it might be useful if U.S. agricultural assistance programs were fewer in number and targeted of Nigeria,s defined top priorities. Minister Bello picked up on this immediately. He then ticked off the three targets selected by the President: biotech, vaccines and extension services. ¶9. (U) Ambassador Jeter noted that beyond the GON,s identification of the three targets, there was no clear sense of where Nigeria wanted to go with such a select program group. He noted that we needed to have better clarity and should work together closely on program design, execution and evaluation, that agriculture was only one of many competing needs for USAID resources, and because of years of neglect, the focus had been on capacity-building. The Ambassador noted that decades of military rule had left the public and private sectors &a mere shadow8 of their former efficiency envied throughout Africa. ¶10. (U) Minister Bello then called on two of his directors for sketches of what they saw as pressing needs for Nigeria within the framework President Obasanjo had set out in Washington: - The Director of Fisheries thanked the U.S. for the recent certification of Nigeria for shrimp exports to the U.S., following industry compliance with TED regulations. He noted a need for USG assistance in developing a Nigerian aquaculture industry for fish farming. - The Director of Agricultural Science followed next. He noted that Nigeria,s farm animal vaccine industry is not competitive. He cited dated technology, poor packaging and marketing as the primary areas where USG assistance would be useful. USAID Country Director agreed to have relevant members of his staff meet with the Ministry's Directors to determine whether suitable USAID assistance programs exist to address the concerns raised in the meeting. ¶11. (U) Ambassador Jeter concluded by noting that although programs may be targeted for the objectives sought by the GON, there simply was no substitute for private sector investment and management, that aid could only be a catalyst, not a replacement for trade and market discipline. The Ambassador then raised with Minister Bello USG concerns about trade restrictions. He cited two: remaining bans on the importation of some commodities, e.g., grain sorghum and millet, and a de facto ban on poultry imports due to the unavailability of import processing documentation. ¶12. (U) Minister Bello had a quick response for each concern. On the bans, he said, simply, that the domestic market needed protection and it was incumbent on the GON to provide it. On poultry imports, although he acknowledged the ban had been lifted over a year ago, health concerns blocked importation for now. ¶13. (U) As he was escorting us to our car, the Deputy Minister raised Bello's desire to visit Washington as was mentioned during President Obasanjo's May official state visit to the U.S. Bello has written to Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman with some proposed dates, which the Deputy Minister said he would also convey to the Embassy. ¶14. (U) Bello, a tall, handsome Northerner from Adamawa State, is new to his office but seems to have a very firm grasp of the concerns of his ministry. It will be worthwhile to engage him on a full range of issues, agricultural sales, markets restrictions, developmental goals and policy, when and if he visits Washington. The Embassy endorses his visit as a possible way of reinjecting vigor into our agricultural programs ¶15. (U) Comment. Bello, who is new to his office, is very articulate and seems to have a good grasp of the concerns of his Ministry. Jeter