Abuja goes personal with Share A Coke II

NaijaAgroNet:

 

The residents of Diamond Park, Market Road, Kubwa in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja woke up to a delightful surprise over the weekend as Coca-Cola stormed the prestigious community with the Share-a-Coke activation, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Thousands of residents could not believe their luck as they filled the activation venue to get their own personalized Coca-Cola cans and be a part of the fun event.

The residential community is one of the numerous consumer groups in Abuja to savour the Share-a-Coke campaign, which has continued to spread excitement across the country since the launch of its second edition in December.

Savouring a PET bottle of iced cold Coca-Cola given freely to all consumers during the activation, Ibrahim Mogaji, an Engineer who customized 15 cans for his friends and loved ones, expressed joy and applauded Coca-Cola for re-introducing the novel campaign to the Nigerian Market two years in a row.

Mogaji said that, “I am so excited that Coca-Cola has re-introduced this campaign to Nigerians. Last year, I was not fortunate to have my name on a Coca-Cola bottle. Now, not only has Coca-Cola re-introduced the campaign, it has also brought it right to my door-step. My wife and I are even more excited about having our favourite phrases on Coca-Cola cans, along with our names.

‘’It is like playing romance in a new way. Using all internet things, the emoticons to personalize my Coca-Cola cans at the same time is really interesting. I must confess that this indeed is a great experience to have, such a big international brand work tirelessly to connect with all of its customers in Nigeria.”

Speaking on behalf of the brand, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Patricia Jemibewon disclosed that Coca-Cola recognizes Nigerians’ ever-growing love for indigenous names and smileys with its Share-a-Coke campaign.

 

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

Take action to unleash community-based forestry, FAO tells govts

NaijaAgroNet:

Governments across the world have been urged to take action to unleash community-based forestry, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Eva Müller, Director of FAO's Forestry Policy and Resources Division, Ms Eva Muller made this call and said that Community-based forestry has shown itself to be a potent vehicle for promoting sustainable forest management, reducing poverty and generating jobs and income for rural communities.

She said that unlocking its true potential will require greater support by governments through policy reforms and other measures.

Many community-based forestry regimes, she said, are showing great promise as engines for sustainable development but are still performing below their potential, a new FAO report released today at the start of Asia-Pacific Forestry Week says.

Under the approach, local communities partner with governments to play a lead role in making land-use decisions and managing the forestry resources they depend on for their livelihoods.

"Forty years of community based forestry: A review of extent and effectiveness", she said, adding that almost one-third of the world's forest area is now estimated to be under some form of community-based management.

Yet in many cases, while in practice policies may exist for the decentralization and devolution of rights and responsibilities to communities, the right conditions may not yet be in place for them to fully exercise their rights. 

  
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Buhari appoints Waziri Adio, new Executive Secretary, NEITI

… Names 13-man board

NaijaAgroNet:

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday appointed Mr. Waziri Onibiyo Adio, as the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) in addition to a 13-man Board, reports NaijaAgroNet. 

A press statement from the Director of Press at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi, confirmed to NaijaAgroNet that Mr. Adio was until his latest appointment, a Communication Consultant and publisher of Metrolope Magazine, having held several editorial positions in the past including in Thisday Newspaper and was Special Adviser, Research and Strategy, Office of the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria from August 2003 to October 2004. 

Appointed the Communication Specialist by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2004, a position he held until 2007when he left to serve as Director of Communications, NEITI from May 2007 to June 2008.

​Mr. Adio graduated with a BSc. (Mass Communication) from the University of Lagos in 1992, and obtained MSc (Journalism) Degree from Columbia University, New York, United States of America in 1999. 

He also holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA, 2009.

In a related development President Buhari, the Director of Press, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi, listed a 13-man National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) otherwise known as Governing Board for the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

The composition, NaijaAgroNet gathered comprises the Minister of Solid Minerals Development​- as Chairman, ​Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance​-​Member, ​Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC)​​​​​​-​Member, ​President, Miners Association of Nigeria​​​-​Member, ​Representative of the Civil Society Organizations (to be elected by the organizations)​​​​-​Member,  President, Nigeria Mining and Geosciences Society​-​Member, and ​President, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG)​​​​​​-​Member.

Also named to the NSWG are ​Hannatu Musa Musawa (Journalist), Representative, North-West Geo-Political zone​​​​-​Member, ​Mr. Lawan Gana Lantaiwa (Consultant), Representative, North-East Geo-Political Zone​​​​-​Member, ​Mr. Bernard B. A. Ver (Accountant), Representative, North-Central Geo-Political Zone​​​​-​Member, ​Mrs. Anne Adaeze Onyekwena (Representative, South-East Geo-Political Zone)​​​​-​Member, ​Mr. Emmanuel Chiejina (Lawyer), Representative, South-South Geo-Political Zone​​​​-​Member, ​Mr. Gbenga Onayiga (Journalist), Representative, South-West Geo-Political Zone​​​​-​Member, and ​Mr. Waziri Onibiyo Adio​​​​, Executive Secretary.

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that the new Governing Board will be inaugurated in due course.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE 
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Mo Ibrahim delivers IFAD lecture, canvasses creating opportunities for African youngsters

NaijaAgroNet:

Globally recognized entrepreneur and founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Dr Mohamed Ibrahim, at the weekend delivered the annual lecture for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), canvassing for the creation of opportunities for African youngsters in agriculture, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Dr. Ibrahim who spoke in Rome, took African governments to task for not living up to their commitments to invest in agriculture and rural development, stressing that its essential that they create opportunities for young people in agriculture so that they are able to resist the dangerous call of extremism. 

“No jobs, no hope,” he said, adding that Africa has more hungry, malnourished people than anywhere else in the world. “We are by far the least productive region in the agriculture sector but because we have more uncultivated, arable land than anywhere else, it presents opportunities.”

NaijaAgroNet equally gathered that a private-sector panel which included Sunny Verghese, Co-founder and Group CEO of Olam International, highlighted the need for bold initiatives to better link smallholder farmers to markets. Panel participants emphasized that everyone – government, the private sector, financing institutions such as IFAD, small- and medium-sized enterprises and smallholders farmers – have a role to play. 

While the second panel discussion, facilitated by IFAD Associate Vice President Périn Saint Ange, focused on innovative agricultural solutions to many of the global challenges discussed over the two days, including IFAD investments in farming technologies, approaches to empower women and youth, and the use of new technology to enhance rural development project design and management.

Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, told correspondent that the world is at a crossroad in terms of its overuse of natural resources, and that the Middle East and North Africa region already has some of the highest water scarcity in the world.

"Climate change impacts the poor and marginalized most of all,” she said, underlining that they have huge challenges ahead, and there is need to act now.

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that some of the outcomes from the Farmers’ Forum, a two-day meeting held in conjunction with IFAD’s Governing Council, organizers announced a plan to make the platform for dialogue more inclusive, inviting pastoralists and livestock breeders to take part, and more decentralized creating stronger links to smallholders and family farmers on the ground.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +Naija AgroNet

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
Pix: Mo Ibrahim

Top fishery officials say aquaculture comes of age

NaijaAgroNet:

High-level delegations of fisheries ministries from over 50 countries have gathered in Agadir, Morocco for a summit to discuss emerging governance needs in the aquaculture, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Also, NaijaAgroNet gathered,  is that fishery sector provides the world with 17 per cent of its animal protein and developing countries with more export revenue than meat, tobacco, rice and sugar combined. 

Audun Lem, Deputy-Director in FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division observed that the globalization of the fish trade, driven in large part by fast growth in aquaculture, raises challenging needs for better rules and practices regarding traceability, labor conditions and the protection of biodiversity as well as commercial preparations for shifts in demand, consumption habits, climate change impacts, and the rapid rise of supermarkets with their corollary supply chains. 

"Trade in fish is much more important than people think, both in absolute and relative terms," said Lem, who also is secretary of the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade whose biennial meeting is being held in Africa for the first time. 

Dialogues over the week-long meeting in Morocco, Lem said would help FAO, its member countries and industry representatives understand new trends, opportunities and challenges in the fishing sector, fostering the development of strategies that could be the best position developing countries to develop their fisheries sectors in a sustainable manner and to maximize their economic benefit from the growth we expect to witness. 

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology