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Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts

Friday, September 24, 2021

Brief history of Awba-Ofemili - NaijaAgroNet: ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

NaijaAgroNet:

Awba-Ofemili is a town in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. The town has an estimated population of 15,978 according to the 2006 Nigerian Census. Awba-Ofemili has eight villages, each of which made up small communities of kindreds.

The eight villages in Awba-Ofemili today include Umuokpe, Umuchibu, Ezike, Akpana, Enugwu-Agu, Umuosite, Enugwu, Umuezeavu.

HRH Igwe Ezekwesili Maduagwuna,
Ofemili 1 of Awba-Ofemili

Awba-Ofemili is about 30kilometers (km) from Awka, the capital city of Anambra State. Like most towns in Awka-North, Awba-Ofemili’s climate and soil conditions are favorable to farming, especially for rice mass production.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

US Consul-General launches HIV Treatment Surge Programme in Oyo - NaijaAgroNet: ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

NaijaAgroNet:
The Consul-General, United States Embassy in Nigeria, Claire Pierangelo, has launched HIV Treatment Surge Programme in Oyo State, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The event held at the Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi Hall, Ibadan on Tuesday formed part of the courtesy visit of the Counsel General to the state.

Pierangelo also held bilateral talks with Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.

Monday, June 25, 2018

Assessing Patent Landscape: How IDTechEx can help your technology -NaijaAgroNet

In any emerging technology, the pace of innovation is rapid, sometimes dauntingly so.  More companies enter the market with new products that have been in in secretive development for several years, protected by patents in an effort to gain a dominant position as quickly as possible. This is true of any emerging technology, be it 3D printing, lithium ion batteries or synthetic biology: those companies who develop a product that not only meets a customer need, but is their protected intellectual property, often go on to become the market leaders and reap the financial rewards accordingly.

Of course, developing the right product is half the battle, but how can an organization accurately assess their competitor’s product before it’s even been announced? How can they pre-empt how crowded the market is, who is entering or leaving, or whether there are any global locations in which a particular product would face fierce competition?

Patent Analytics is a service that IDTechEx provides utilising our long-standing expertise in a range of emerging technologies to provide clients of our services with visibility to these questions through the analysis of the patent information stored on international IP databases. Using dedicated software, the highly technical analysts at IDTechEx can query the data to develop a bespoke Patent Analytics Report sharing actionable insights which are tailored to answer a client’s key strategic technological questions.

Leveraging our combined technical and commercial acumen in emerging technologies, an IDTechEx Patent Analytics Report is a data-driven interpretation of the existing patents in a technology domain in the context of the commercial environment. Our Patent Analytics Reports provide competitive analysis, assessment of the entire value chain and visibility on those highly prized technology whitespaces, which in turn can mitigate risk when launching a new product, gain insight into competitors’ activities and accelerate time to market.


Charlotte Martin/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Shell is best in Technology & Innovation @Petroleum Summit

The Subsea Tree Refurbishment feat by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) in-country, drew a deafening applause as it earned Shell Companies in Nigeria the Best Performing International Company in Technology and Innovation at the awards night of the maiden edition of the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit in Abuja, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The state-organised event was attended by Nigerian and international industry leaders.
SNEPCo pioneered the in-country feat and achieved significant savings in the cost of the subsea equipment led by Nigerian engineers. A Subsea Tree is an arrangement of valves and other components installed at the wellhead to control and monitor production flow and manage fluids injection. SNEPCo embarked on a Tree Refurbishment initiative in 2013 to ensure timely delivery of the equipment at lower cost for the Bonga Phase 2 project, an in-field wells delivery and hook–up programme within the Bonga Field which has been in execution since 2007.
On hand to receive the award presented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, were the Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria and Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Mr. Osagie Okunbor, and the Managing Director of SNEPCo, Mr. Bayo Ojulari.
An excited Okunbor described the award as a recognition of the pioneering role of Shell Companies in Nigeria in local capacity development and Nigeria content. “We are pleased that this feat has continued to receive recognition within and outside Nigeria. Beyond cost consideration, we were also looking to indigenise the know-how so that Nigerian engineers can acquire the necessary skills,” he said.
Speaking on the award, Ojulari said, “This is a success story not only for Shell but for Nigeria. The first Subsea Tree under the programme was installed on schedule in May 2015. This was the first of its kind re-using a Subsea Tree fully stripped down and refurbished locally in Nigeria, with all of its original functionality restored.
“The scope of work entailed the retrieval of the Subsea Trees for disassembly, repair and rebuild following procedures developed by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to international standards and codes. The work was done at the OEM/SNEPCo logistics base at Onne in Rivers State with Nigerian engineers and technicians playing key roles. The quick turnaround of these Trees has helped to increase oil production in the Bonga field. The expenditure on this work in Nigeria aligns with the cost of similar Subsea Tree refurbishment in Europe. We have since sustained the in-country refurbishment.”
SNEPCo saves about $6 million for every refurbished Subsea Tree, and this is delivered within 15 months as against 36 months for newly manufactured ones.
SNEPCo helped to create the first generation of Nigerian deep water professionals through the Bonga project which started production in 2005, as Nigeria’s first oil and gas production project in more than 1,000 metres of water. The project was expanded with further drilling of wells in Bonga Phases 2 and 3 and through a subsea tie-back that unlocked the nearby Bonga North West field in August 2014, which has peak production of approximately 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day. Bonga Phase 3 achieved first oil in October 2015.
SNEPCo operates Bonga field on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production (Deepwater Ltd)–Exxon, Total E&P Nigeria Ltd – Total and Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd – ENI. The other Shell Companies in Nigeria are SPDC and Shell Nigeria Gas.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Pix: L-R: Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria and Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Mr. Osagie Okunbor; and the Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Mr. Bayo Ojulari, during the presentation of The Best International Company in Technology and Innovation to Shell at the 2018 Nigeria International Petroleum Summit held in Abuja… on Monday.

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Agrotech on edge of second green revolution - Weilbach



Agribusiness industry leader at PwC Africa, FransWeilbach, has said that agriculture is currently standing on the edge of a second green revolution with the aid of technology, NaijaAgroNet reports.

Speaking on desperate need for food security, Weilbach said that as the global population is growing rapidly, innovative technology and advancements in productivity are becoming increasingly important as pressure mounts on food systems.

“It is predicted that technological innovation will act as a catalyst in lifting agribusiness to the next level in Africa. The winners will be those agribusinesses that seize the opportunity to create new opportunities through technology – they will be able to reach their strategic goals faster and more efficiently,” he said.

Also commenting, the PwC Director in Kenya, Edward Kerich, said “Kenya relies heavily on the agricultural sector as the mainstay of its economy, with agriculture contributing 29 per cent of GDP. Kenya is SSA’s leading tea exporter and one of the world’s largest black tea producers. A significant development in the agricultural sector is growth in the number of privately owned tea factories outside of those owned by the KTDA and the large multinationals in the country, and the benefits realized is expected to increase as some factories move to cheaper renewable energy such as hydropower production.”

PwC Partner in Nigeria, Rasheed Rahji said “Agriculture contributed 24.18% to real GDP in Nigeria in Q4 2015 and this is mainly due to mechanised farming and to other activities in the agribusiness value chain.”

NaijaAgroNet gathered that human resources (HR) models and processes are beginning to evolve, with more emphasis being placed on technology to improve networks and data.

Though industry analysts observed that majority of agribusinesses view climate change as having significant impact on SSA agriculture in the future – 41.2 per cent indicated that there will be a significant impact in the short term, while 35.3 per cent said there will be an impact over the next 20 years.

Meanwhile, NaijaAgroNet reports that agribusiness leaders are considering investing in renewable energy, the main forms of energy being considered are solar energy and biogas.

Okoli Vincent/GEE

 

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

AATF to boost agro-productivity in Africa via Innovation


  NaijaAgroNet:
The Executive Director, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Dennis Kyetere has said that the use of technology will play a key role in addressing farmer’s constraints and enhancing agricultural development on the continent, reports NaijaAgroNet.

In line with this, the AATF has signed a memorandum of Understanding with Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) during which the Secretary General COMESA, Mr. Sindiso  Ngwenya, said that there is need for African countries to use innovation to boost agricultural productivity and trade in the region.

Also, Mr. Ngwenya said, technological interventions will help in securing Africa’s future through increased agricultural productivity, and as Dr. Kyetere said, the foundation promotes various kinds of technologies to strengthen the capacity of farmers in Africa.

Mr. Ngwenya further said that the partnerships should help address the entire commodity value chains from production through to the markets.

Okoli Vincent/GEE
 

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Monday, December 7, 2015

Technology for achieving CO2 reduction available - Utsumi

Chairman of the United States-based Global Systems Analysis and Simulation Association (GLOSAS/USA), Prof. Takeshi Utsumi has declared that the technology for achieving the pledged reduction to CO2 by world leaders, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Reacting to the pledges made since the beginning of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21), which is holding in Paris, gathered delegates from 195 countries, even as 175 countries out of them pledged the reduction of CO2.

Utsumi also said he supposed these pledges were made out of their rigorous examination of their country’s system. 

“I then also suppose that such study were made with the use of their socio-economic-energy-environment simulation models, since otherwise, they should be just the ‘hopeful’ pledges.  Even so, news reports that the total sum of them all would not meet with the target of 2 degree Celsius limit on the temperature rise compared to the pre-industrial age,” he said.

Utsumi further said that then proposed creation of the “Electronic United Nations” as interlinking those simulation models through broadband Internet for the discussions of fair distribution of benefits and burdens of the global climate change.

He emphasized this was to follow the suit of MIT researchers and students who brought their computer to the UN in New York City and helped to enact the Law of Sea in the 1970s, which had 150 countries’ agreement so far, except the USA.

He insisted that “Technology for this is now available, including for real-time simulator cum trainer scheme.”

Utsumi further said his team has been working in this direction in the past four decades. 

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Global trading in herbal products estimated at N19. 9trn



NaijaAgroNet:
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Winifred Oyo-Ita, has said that trading in herbal products worldwide is estimated at $100 billion, about N19. 9 trillion,  NaijaAgroNet reports.

She said herbal products have become a great source of job and wealth creation worldwide even as she urged African countries to exploit their natural resources.

“I understand that Nigeria, like most other African countries presently, is yet to play very significant roles in this business. With our vast bio-resources, biodiversity and investment opportunities coupled with our competitive national advantage in this area and activities such as this, we should rapidly start to reserve this trend.”

“Given the important contribution that trade makes to economic growth and poverty reduction, we must strive to sustain Africa’s bio-resources and biodiversity to exploit her abundant natural resources.”

Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita was speaking at the 2015 HERBFEST workshop with the theme “Food as medicine: utilisation and sustainable exploitation of African medicinal plants and natural products” which was jointly organised by the Bio-Resources Development and Conservation Programme (BDCP), Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) and Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA).

According to The Nation report, she recognized science and technology as a veritable tool to drive the economy towards growth and sustainable development, adding the ministry has the critical and strategic mandate to boost the sector.

“For the nation’s bio-business to thrive and be sustained, her medicinal, aromatic and pesticidal plants (MAPPs), animals/animal parts and other raw materials used for herbal medicine, species, cosmetics and other products development need to be properly identified, made readily available and backed with scientific evidence based information and technological infrastructure to enable their cultivation and conservation,” she advocated.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ED,OPs
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

IITA expert advocates youth connection to improved technology, agribusinesses

 NaijaAgroNet
The Project Leader, Cassava Weed Management Project, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Alfred Dixon, has advocated youth connection to a source of improved technology and access to information of good agricultural businesses, NaijaAgroNet reports.

“Youth engagement in agric can be in the production aspect like crop production, tuber production and cassava stem production. It can be in the post harvest aspect by adding value to what is already produced or the consumption aspects which come after harvesting, it involves handling and packaging, transportation, distribution, retailing, marketing and warehousing,” he said. 

Dixon said this recently while delivering keynote at the Covenant Capital, a division of Covenant Christian Centre on the agricultural sector which has the theme “SME Opportunities in Nigeria’s Agribusiness Value Chain.”

The event which took place at the church auditorium in Iganmu, Lagos witnessed other  experts who noted that Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy is expected to double its current population by 2050 and that the future of the country’s economy is in the hands its teeming youth population.

They stressed that with the high rate of youth unemployment in the country, there is need for government to harness the potential in the agricultural sector by making it very attractive to the youths.

The Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Multi-Trex Integrated Foods Plc Oladimeji Owofemi said,  “In the logistic performance index Nigeria is ranked lower than South Africa which has a population of just 45 or 50 billion people. Government needs to provide good road infrastructure network to reduce production cost.”

While the CEO, X- Ray Farms, Afioluwa Mogaji, in his speech harped on the need for youths across the country to see the opportunities in the agricultural value chain because the opportunities are enormous.“With the massive opportunities in agriculture in the country, oil is supposed to be an alternative to agriculture,” he said.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE with additional report from Business Day

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology 
Pix: Alfred Dixon

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Minister makes case for African scientists, technologists


The Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Crops, Dr Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, said  family farms need technology propelled by African scientists for increased productivity, reports NaijaAgroNet.

 Alhassan said this while speaking at the Fourth Planning and General Meeting of Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) in Accra, adding that “the era of despair, timidity and sometimes outright cynicism of African agriculture must give way to confidence, mutual trust and co-operation among stakeholders.” He said that this has become paramount in the light of eroding natural resources and dwindling potential for exploitation.

He reiterated the need for indigenous knowledge of the African farmer to be enhanced, to achieve food security and sovereignty, adding that Africa had the needed trained human resources in scientific research to contribute to that knowledge or technology development, NaijaAgroNet gathered.

The three-day meeting with the theme "Building on International Year of Soils, Strengthening Family Farming,” had over 30 participants from the continent in attendance. AFSA is a Pan-African platform of 21 networks and farmer organizations championing small African Family Farming/Production Systems based on agro-ecological and indigenous approaches that sustain food sovereignty and the livelihoods of communities.

Mr Bernard Guri, Chairman of AFSA, NaijaAgroNet learnt, said their concern was to save African seeds, land and African agro-ecological farming practices that had fed Africa, and would continue to feed Africa and its ecology, while enhancing African cultural integrity.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
Pix: Dr Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan,