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Showing posts with label banks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label banks. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Set up food banks to counter hunger - Guber Aspirant

The governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Mr Olawale Rasheed, has called on state governments across the country to set up food banks to cushion the growing hunger in the country, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This was contained in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet on the occasion of #WorldFoodDay, the aspirant lamented that hunger among the populace is widening and poses serious threat to societal stability and democratic sustainability.

"I urge state leaders to set up food banks across local governments to hand out weekly food ration to the poor of the poor and thousands of our food -deprived fellow citizens. The situation is critical especially at the grassroots.

" A food bank operated in conjunction with non-governmental organisations  will go a long way to alleviate the food crisis and provides succor to thousands of our citizens . It does not cost much and it will also serve to boost local economy as food materials will be sourced from local markets" he said.

The media entrepreneur explained further that "many among the citizenry needs help and a critical step is to offer food lifeline to allow the weak to re-plan their lives without hunger as immediate threat.

"Our leaders are widely travelled. Across Europe and elsewhere, food bank is an integral part of the society because their leaders recognise the need to cater for the poor. As Governor of Osun state, food bank will become operational a month after my assumption of office" the former ministerial adviser said.


Ogo Nebenanya/GEE
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Monday, September 12, 2016

African govts, banks, IDPs pledge $30bn on agric development

The week-long 2016 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) ended at the weekend, with some $30 billion, about N9,467,550,000,000 trillion investment pledged by the governments, financial institutions and International Development Partners (IDPs), reports NaijaAgroNet.

These pledges, NaijaAgroNet gathered came on the wheels of the theme "Seize the moment: Securing Africa's Rise Through Agricultural Transformation" and will spur commitments to African farmers and agriculture sector on the continent for new and more broad opportunities for economic growth.

NaijaAgroNet also reports that AGRF 2016 which attracted over 1,500 delegates from 40 countries, included some African Heads of State, global business leaders, government ministers, farmers, agribusiness firms, financial institutions, civil society groups, scientists, and International Development and Technical Partners (IDTPs).

According to NaijaAgroNet, most of them pledged in excess of US $30 billion dollars in investments over the next 10 years to increase production, income and employment for smallholder farmers and local African agriculture businesses.

As said by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) which acts as the secretariat of AGRF and led by its president, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, the pledges are the largest single package of financial commitments ever delivered to African agriculture.

“It is backed by the broadest coalition ever assembled to support a transition from subsistence to income-earning agriculture in Africa,” she said.

The AGRF partners, Kalibata noted afforded the meeting to embrace a detailed action plan that commits to achieving specific milestones over the next 16 months as part of the “Seize the Moment” campaign that served as the theme for AGRF 2016.

NaijaAgroNet recalled that “Seize the Moment” was first launched in April at the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Plan (CAADP) Partnership Platform in Accra, Ghana. It has quickly become a rallying point for accelerating work around the African Union’s 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speaking at the auditorium of the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenyan President, Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, said the transformation of Africa will only work if Africans transform agriculture.

“This meeting has been not only important, but also very urgent, because we are coming together at a time when our continent is filled with incredible opportunity, but at the same time it also is faced with profound threats in almost equal measure,” he said.

Kenyatta championed the pledges by declaring that his government will invest US $200 million, so that at least 150,000 young farmers and young agriculture entrepreneurs could gain access to markets, finance and insurance.

The Rwandan President, Mr. Paul Kagame who accompanied Kenyatta on stage, challenge African leaders and around the world to harness the potential of agriculture to fight hunger and poverty on the continent.

Rwanda, he disclosed emerged as a strong example of what investments in agriculture can achieve, stressing that according to the World Bank, Rwanda under his leadership achieved dramatic reductions in poverty, “owing largely to increased productivity and commercialization in the agriculture sector.”

“We should not only seize the moment but continue the momentum for the transformation of agriculture and economies on our continent,” President Kagame, emphasising “Agriculture is not just one sector of the economy amongst others – it’s the backbone of the economy.”


Equally speaking at the closing ceremony, Kenyan Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Willy Bett, commended President Kagame and President Kenyatta for their commitment to the forum, and urged delegates to “do our part and drive this agenda forward.”

Remmy Nweke in Nairobi/ED, Ops
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