Category: Agriculture - Page 4 - African News Today

Nigerian Farmers to Get $1.1 Billion Loan Intervention from CBN

19Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Agriculture, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Nigeria

Nigerian Farmers to Get $1.1 Billion Loan Intervention from CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said it plans to empower farmers with N432 billion ($1.1 billion) intervention loan to upscale food production during the planting season. The apex bank said through its Twitter handle on Thursday that about one million farmers will be given loan to cultivate more than one million hectares of land to ensure adequate food supply as the economic effects of covid-19 unravels. The West African nation has been pushing for more investment in the agricultural sector as a drift from reliance on crude, which accounts for estimated 90% of the countries revenues. The CBN projects increased production of cash crops such as cotton, rice, tomato, cassava, cocoa and maize for self-reliance cum revenue generation through export.

Famine Strikes in Burkina Faso as Farmers Seek Help

17Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Agriculture, Burkina Faso, Economy

Famine Strikes in Burkina Faso as Farmers Seek Help

Burkina Faso has been struck by drought and desertification which has resulted in famine. The landlocked West African nation of Burkina Faso has been hard hit by drought and desertification. The AFP and Africanews report that the landlocked nation has been hit hard by draught which has caused large scale hunger among its citizens. Just east of capital Ouagadougou, once fertile land is now dry. The country which is famed for food production and fertile earth has turned a shadow of itself. Previously productive lands are now good for gathering pebbles, due to years of drought and the erosion of the top soil. The slow advance of desertification, comes as populations from the north and across the Sahel are being pushed from their homes by violence linked to jihadists. Food inse...

Nigeria Secures $288.5m African Development Bank Loan

8Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Africa, Agriculture, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, News, Nigeria

Nigeria Secures $288.5m African Development Bank Loan

Nigerian has gotten approval for $288.5m loan from African Development Bank (AfDB) to cushion the impact of coronavirus and the drop in the price of crude oil. Africa’s largest economy – Nigeria, has been battling with growing cases of COVID-19 with an infection rate of 12,233 cases and 342 deaths. Coupled with the dwindling price of oil, the country has seen her finances stretched. The minister of finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed had warned that Nigeria’s economy could take a hit from the pandemic. The country has been battling with the adverse effect of the pandemic, low oil price and effect of lockdown which held sway till recent relaxation. Read also: FG lost N557bn to MDAs in five years —Report The loan will reinforce government’s capacity to upscale surveillance and react t...

Lagos inaugurates FADAMA Food Market in Badagry

21Feb

By Debo OmilaniNo Comments

Agriculture, Economy, Lagos News, Nigeria

Lagos inaugurates FADAMA Food Market in Badagry

Lagos State Government today inaugurated a new Food Market at Agbalata, in Badagry Local Government in order to structure agricultural produce marketing for traceability and quality assurance. The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, who inaugurated the market, explained that the new FADAMA Food Market would also promote availability of wholesome food to the populace at affordable prices as well as create farmgate price advantage through the elimination of middlemen. She noted that the market which was a product of a collaborative effort with multilateral Agencies, especially the World Bank and the Federal Government, would also reduce post-harvest losses whilst giving optimum returns to farmers for their efforts. Acco...

Lagos to give Agric Estates, Farm Settlements Facelift – Sanwo-Olu

13Feb

By Debo OmilaniNo Comments

Agriculture, Economy, Lagos News, News, Nigeria

Lagos to give Agric Estates, Farm Settlements Facelift – Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reiterated the commitment of the State Government towards changing the face of the various agricultural estates and farm settlements in the State in order to boost production and encourage youth participation in agriculture. Sanwo-Olu, who disclosed this on Thursday at the maiden edition of the Ecobank Agribusiness Summit held in Lagos, noted that efforts have already started towards achieving this goal through the recently concluded appraisal of the current state of the estates. He reiterated that the State Government is focussed on enhancing its competitive and comparative advantage in agricultural value chains towards the attainment of self-sufficiency in food production and moving from the current 18% to 40% by 2025...

Osun Gov Seeks Private Partnership to Revamp Agric Sector

19Aug

By Debo OmilaniNo Comments

Agriculture, Lagos News, News, Nigeria

Osun Gov Seeks Private Partnership to Revamp Agric Sector

Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to partner private sector to revive the agriculture sector in the state. He said on Monday during a facility tour of Bob Jones Farm Limited, at Obadimu community, Orolu Local Government Area of the state. While speaking, he said his administration will do everything possible to make agriculture the mainstay and bedrock of the state's economy. Oyetola who described agriculture as the most sustainable means to growing the economy, said no stone will be left unturned to turn around the sector for the betterment of the people of the state. He said the administration's revolution has been designed to make the state sufficient in food production, and by extension have enough to export, explaining that...

Lagos Continues Sale of Lake Rice Despite End of the Eid Celebrations

15Aug

By Debo OmilaniNo Comments

Agriculture, Celebration, Lagos News, News, Nigeria

Lagos Continues Sale of Lake Rice Despite End of the Eid Celebrations

The Lagos State Government has said the sales of its popular brand, Lake Rice, will continue at all designated centres across the State despite the end of the Eid celebrations. While speaking on the reason for the continuous sales of the rice, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya affirmed that the products are available at various centres across the State including the Agricultural Development Authority Complex, Oko-Oba; Lagos State Agriculture Inputs Supply Authority (LAISA), Ojo and the Blue Roof at LTV Complex, Agidingbi, Ikeja. The Permanent Secretary added that the product is also available at the Lake Rice Sales Center at Temu Farm Service Center, Epe; Odogunyan Farm Service Center, Ikorodu; Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere; Ministry of Agricul...

Kwara State to Partner AfDB on Infrastructure Devt., Women Empowerment

31Jul

By Debo OmilaniNo Comments

Agriculture, Economy, Employment, News, Nigeria

Kwara State to Partner AfDB on Infrastructure Devt., Women Empowerment

Kwara State Government has opened talks with the African Development Bank (AfDB) on various areas of partnership, including road construction, small and medium scale enterprises with focus on women empowerment, energy, and agro-processing. This contained in a statement on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye. According to the statement, the proposed partnership is the outcome of a meeting Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq held with the AfDB team in Abuja on Monday during which he spelt out the priorities of his new administration and sought the buy-in of the development body. Governor AbdulRazaq at the meeting identified the priority areas to include education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, women and youth empowerment, and entrepreneurship...

Nigeria: Buhari, Southern Governors Given 30-Day Ultimatum on RUGA by Northern Youths

4Jul

By admin2 Comments

Agriculture, Fulani Herdsmen, News, Nigeria

Nigeria: Buhari, Southern Governors Given 30-Day Ultimatum on RUGA by Northern Youths

Following the decision taken by President Buhari to suspend RUGA implementation, a group known as the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has given the President and Southern Governors 30 days to do an about face on the suspension, accept and implement the plan. Giving the ultimatum, the group said the conspiracy to weaken the North had been perpetrated with the active connivance of some leaders from the region, accommodated by the cowardice of those that present themselves as northern political leaders today and feed on the negligence and insincerity of the federal authorities. “Throughout the last four years, the administration of President Buhari had twisted and wobbled deceitfully around the visibly stewing security situation in Northern Nigeria, especially the herders and farmers...

Opinion Buhari’s Ruga Insult By Lasisi Olagunju

2Jul

By adminNo Comments

Agriculture, Fulani Herdsmen, News, Nigeria

Opinion Buhari’s Ruga Insult By Lasisi Olagunju

On October 18, 1990, the United States, in a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), predicted the end of a country which was behaving almost as Nigeria is behaving now. It said, “Yugoslavia will cease to function as a federal state within a year, and will probably dissolve within two. Economic reform will not stave off the breakup. A full-scale inter-republic war is unlikely, but serious intercommunal conflict will accompany the breakup and will continue afterward. The violence will be intractable and bitter. There is little the United States and its European allies can do to preserve Yugoslav unity.” That country called Yugoslavia ceased to exist in 1992 –within exactly two years as predicted by the US. I wonder what the authors of that report are writing about Nigeria this moment. Ana...