Technology key for productivity in Africa

NaijaAgroNet

Technology has been described as a major factor for improved productivity in Africa, so said Dr. Hannah Bissiw, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in charge of Livestock in Ghana, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Dr. Bissiw,NaijaAgroNet gathered, stated this at the opening of Ghana/Kenya Trade and Investment Mission in Accra, stressing the need for African countries to expand trade among themselves.

She also said that as most African countries depend largely on their agricultural sectors to lead the transformation of their economies, “we cannot but strive to improve our agricultural sectors through the application of science and technology,” NaijaAgroNet learnt.

Dr Bissiw further said that the mission provided both countries the opportunity to elaborate cooperation in the MOU and put in place a plan of action to realise the ideals.

The Mission follows the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in December 2014 in Nairobi to promote trade, investments, exchange of science and technology and knowledge between Ghana and Kenya.

President John Dramani Mahama during an official visit to Kenya last year, NaijaAgroNet learnt, also signed seven bilateral agreements with the country to ease the conditions for doing business and boosting bilateral trade relations.

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World Malaria Day: Over 3000 get free health care courtesy Coca-Cola, partners

NaijaAgroNet

Akoka community members with over 3000 population living with intellectual disabilities have received free Malaria and HIV testing and treatment at the St. Finbarr’s College, Lagos as Coca-Cola partners with Special Olympics Nigeria, YEDI and Exxon Mobil to mark this year’s World Malaria Day, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The 2015 World Malaria Day theme, “Invest in the future, Defeat malaria” provides a common platform for countries to showcase their successes in malaria control and unify diverse initiatives in the changing global context.

National Director, Special Olympics Nigeria, Ms. Naomi Saliu-Lawal, NaijaAgroNet gathered said they envisage a malaria free country and pledged continuous commitment to health care services.

“We look forward to a time when malaria will be better managed and there will be fewer casualties. We will continue to educate people about malaria and provide health care services with our partners.” She said.

Also speaking at the event, Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Sam Umukoro said “Coca-Cola is committed to leveraging the power of partnerships such as this one to promote the health and wellbeing of our communities. We recognize that when our communities are healthy and sustainable then businesses can thrive”.  

The event had volunteers among the employees of Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Exxon Mobil and Special Olympics Nigeria, and featured side attractions including music and dance and a Unified Soccer novelty match by some of the Special Olympics athletes.

Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, world's largest beverage company, as NaijaAgroNetlearnt is a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company with consumers in more than 200 countries enjoying its beverages at a rate of more than 1.9 billion servings a day.

NaijaAgroNet also gathered that while efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria have gained important momentum over the past years, an annual shortage of N716.580 billion (US$ 3.6 billion) threatens to slow down progress, particularly across Africa where high-burden countries are facing critical funding gaps.  Unless the world can find a way to bridge the funding gaps and endemic countries have the resources and technical support they need to implement sound malaria control plans, malaria resurgence will likely take many more lives.

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Buhari urged to increase allocation to agriculture

  NaijaAgroNet

The president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has been advised by a concerned Nigerian to ensure that agriculture received a good chunk of budgetary allocation to boost food security, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Mr. Seyi Adebowale, an agriculturalist and the Director of Sophix Farms, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, made this call during an interview with news men in Omu-Aran.

In his word, "The incoming government led by the President-elect, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, needs a strong political will to take decisive steps to develop the agriculture sector. The challenges of inadequate budgetary allocation and lack of awareness on viability of agriculture to solve our domestic food crisis are issues requiring priority attention," he said.

NaijaAgroNet further learnt that the agriculturalist also faulted the negative disposition of government officials, bankers, entrepreneurs and investors to agriculture, adding that, "The major stumbling block against development in agriculture today is as a result of the wrong mind-set that government officials, bankers, entrepreneurs and investors have about the sector.”

He stated that he had heard bankers and investors saying that they cannot invest in agriculture because of the risk involved and noted that such trend remained a stumbling block to develop the sector.

Adebowale expressed the urgent need for a re-ordering of priorities by stakeholders in the nation's economy towards embracing land policy to boost agricultural production, NaijaAgroNet gathered.

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WFP predicts food shortage in South Africa

 NaijaAgroNet

The World Food Programme (WFP) has predicted an acute food shortage in South Africa in a couple of months due to a severe drought in the 'maize belt' of South Africa, where a lack of rain had caused crop failure rates of over 50 per cent, NaijaAgroNet reports.

WFP’s Food and Nutrition Security Working Group’s April assessment states, "The rains experienced in late March and early April provided some relief to livestock farmers but arrived too late for both staple food and cash crops."

Last month's outbreak of anti-foreigner riots in South Africa, in which at least seven were killed and thousands more forced to flee, NaijaAgroNet gathered,  might also lead to a drop in remittance flows from Africa's most advanced economy, adding to the problems of nearby countries, the WFP said.

The WFP said maize production was estimated to have dropped by a third compared with last year, putting it on track for a harvest of 9.665 million tonnes, its worst in eight years,  

Besides South Africa, which produces more than 40 per cent of regional maize, NaijaAgroNet learnt, the drought was also likely to hit harvests in southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi and Madagascar, the U.N. agency said in a report.

The problems in landlocked and impoverished Malawi were compounded by heavy rains and flooding in early January which destroyed crops and roads, it added.

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P&G unveils Ariel Automatic in style

 NaijaAgroNet

 

The Procter & Gamble (P&G’s) flagship laundry brand, Ariel on Sunday in the city of Lagos, consolidated its number one foothold on Nigerian detergent market with the introduction of Ariel Automatic which is specifically designed to be used in washing machines, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The Managing Director of the company, George Nassar, in welcoming guests to the grand launch which took place at Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos, said that since the official launch of Ariel in Nigeria in 1998, the brand has continued to be the number one stain remover.

He disclosed that Ariel Automatic has more stain fighting ingredients than its competitors, adding that the philosophy behind Ariel automatic is to improve laundry experience in Nigerian homes while also adding that Ariel Automatic is endorsed by LG, the number one laundry manufacturers in the world.

Explaining further to NaijaAgroNet the Communications Manager, Ariel, Sub-Saharan Africa, Jeanne du Plessis said that Ariel Automatic is designed, not just to clean the fabric but also to protect and enhance it. She maintained that Africa is “incredibly important to P&G.” She went on to add that Ariel Automatic offer user good smell that offers them the self confidence they require.

Ahinomen Anekabor, Commercial & Brand Director, P&G, on her part told NaijaAgroNet that besides being NAFDAC certified, Ariel Automatic preserves the life of washing machines, saying that every fashion requires a detergent for its wash, adding that Ariel Automatic was developed at Brussel’s Innovation Centre, Brussel, Belgium, maintaining that it is customer inspired and that behind every successful person there is an Ariel.

NaijaAgroNet reports there were several demonstrations to convince the audience that Ariel Automatic cleans, protects and enhances washing experience besides taking care of itching which people normally experience with their fabrics.

With ink and motor oil mixed and used to stain white fabrics in the same degree and soaked with 

Ariel Automatic on one hand, and another competing detergent on the other, NaijaAgroNet observed that it was Ariel Automatic that removed all the stains leaving the fabrics as white as snow.

Ariel continues to be a leading innovation brand in detergents, driving both product performance and sustainability across the widest spectrum of markets and consumers in the globe.

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Execlusive: Experts canvass support for bio-safety law in Nigeria

NaijaAgroNet

Environmentalists in Nigeria are drumming support for the recently proclaimed Biosafety Act and forecasting good tidings for the nation, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This is coming as NaijaAgroNet reports President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on April 20, 2015 signed the Biosafety Act into law.

Some of the biosafety experts who commented on this development including Director of Research (Biotechnology) at Sheda Science & Technology Complex, Abuja, Dr. Abolade Samuel Afolabi and research fellow at Biotechnology Advanced Laboratory, Sheda Science and Technology Complex, Dr. Andrew Chibuzor Iloh.

They said the Act sponsored by the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) is a welcomed development and strive for domestication of modern biotechnology as obtained in advanced countries, a technology with capacity to boost agricultural production and economic development.

For Dr. Afolabi, the biosafety technology is already available and could translate to jobs, opportunity for the youth and wealth creation.

The National Advanced Biotechnology Laboratories, he said, could now go on full fledge research in plant, animal and human biotechnology thus building formidable home grown capacity.

“The possibility is limitless ... a win–win situation. Now let’s ‘hit the bench’ and become productive at the molecular level,” he said, stressing that Nigeria has arrived and has finally joined the enlightened group of nations with the signing of the Act.

And for Dr. Andrew Chibuzor Iloh, there is no doubt that the signing of the biosafety bill into an Act in Nigeria would bring about growth economically, socially as well as capacity building in the field of agricultural biotechnology.

“It’s important to say that it opens up the seed business in Nigeria were seed companies can comfortably strive while providing farmers with quality seeds,” Dr. Iloh said.

In terms of capacity building, Dr. Iloh pointd out that the Act opens up avenues for quality in house research for development and Nigeria would be able to train more scientists in the field. “The economic earnings will diversify at least by bringing some form of succor to the dwindling oil market,” he noted.

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Modern ideas key for improved jobs and income

 NaijaAgroNet

Innovation, modern ideas have been identified as the only key to engender improved jobs and sustainable income as joblessness among young people is one of the most pressing social, economic and political challenges facing Africa in the 21st Century, NaijaAgroNet  reports.

African Development Bank's Special Envoy on Gender, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi stated this in Abidjan at a consultative workshop organised by the Bank's Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department in collaboration with the Office of the Special Envoy on Gender and the Human Development Department.

The workshop NaijaAgroNet gathered, was designed to deliberate on a proposed innovative programme titled “Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment for Youth in African Agriculture (ENABLE Youth)”.  The programme once developed, will be implemented in 20 Regional Member Countries of the Bank under the coordination of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

The programme will be designed to reinforce the roles of disenfranchised young African adults through a comprehensive outreach approach involving providing information, life-skills education (effective and functional job training), proven technologies and opportunities to at least 800,000 youth in 20 RMCs.

“Over 10 million young people in Africa are entering the job market each year. Despite the strong growth performance of African economies over the recent years, the continent has failed to create the number of jobs needed to absorb these young people,” said Fraser-Moleketi.

NaijaAgroNet reliably learnt that the meeting was attended by key players in the agricultural sector such as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development

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Adopt Forest and Land-use policies to alleviate global hunger – IUFRO

NaijaAgroNet

International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), at a United Nations Forum on Forests in New York, called on countries with big forest-dependent population to adopt national policies and land-use strategies that support the planting of multi-functional trees to provide food, timber, fuel wood, medicine and a host of environmental services that could access safe nutritious food for all, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The Union, NaijaAgroNet gathered, estimates that some 805 million people – one in nine citizens of Earth – are undernourished, primarily in Africa and Asia. At the same time, between 1.2 and 1.5 billion people worldwide depend on forests for all or most of their diet and livelihood.  

Stepha Mcmullin, social scientist and member of the Union report’s Authors, also concurred that forests and tree-based farming systems such as agroforestry can complement agricultural production to ensure greater food security and better nutrition for some of the world's most vulnerable communities.

“If you're familiar with shade-grown coffee, then you have an idea of what agroforestry is all about. By planting fruit trees and other useful species, selectively weeding and otherwise managing the forests as intensively as any farmer might tend their fields and rotate their crops; people all over the world have created gardens that resemble natural forests in many ways, including providing suitable habitat for a diverse array of flora and fauna.” He said.

McMullin who, NaijaAgroNet gathered, advocated that forests and tree-based systems also benefit people indirectly, sited an instance in the Sahel region of Africa, noting that by planting trees, poor farmers have turned millions of acres of what had become semi-desert by the 1980s into more productive land, where trees now account for 80 per cent of average household incomes in the region, largely through shea-nut production.

Coordinator of IUFRO’s Global Forest Expert Panels initiative, Christoph Wildburger, told NaijaAgroNet that tree-based farming can help prevent climate change calamities, which is also a threat, not just to the productivity of agroforests but to conventional agricultural operations, as well.

“Large-scale crop production is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, which may occur more frequently under climate change. Science shows that tree-based farming can adapt far more better to such calamities. We know that forest already play a key role in mitigating the effects of climate change. It should also be made very clear that they also play a key role in alleviating hunger and improving nutrition.” He said.

Ultimately, lack of community control over forests and, of course, deforestation could limit the abilities of forests to enhance food security. Forest management in most countries is fragmented across different governmental agencies and administrative jurisdictions.

Daniel Nsolibe /Ed, Ops.

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