The CRU (www.CRUgroup.com) is bringing Phosphates 2018 (http://APO.af/ESWVFf), the global phosphates industry’s most important conference, to the Mövenpick Mansour Eddahbi Hotel in Marrakesh, Morocco on 12-14 March 2018. The event is organised in participation with International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) and will be hosted by OCP, Morocco’s national phosphate company (www.OCPgroup.ma). Now in its 11th year, the event attracts over 500 commercial and operational decision-makers from across the phosphates and fertilizer supply chain to explore the supply and demand dynamics and the latest mining and production technologies. Morocco is a hub for investment and innovation in phosphate mining and processing.…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
By Abdallah el-Kurebe The Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century (GCP21) has called on policy makers, donors and the international community to support all efforts that would bring about cassava transformation in Africa. Made ahead of the international conference on cassava, the call is coming at a time when cassava is becoming central to food security of over 600 million people in the developing world and has become the fourth most important crop after maize, wheat and rice. Presenting the upcoming conference on cassava to donors and the international community in Cotonou on Thursday, the Director of GCP21, Dr…
Over 690,000 families totaling up to four million people living in six low-income countries stand to benefit from a new climate insurance programme launched by VisionFund International, World Vision’s microfinance arm and Global Parametrics, a new venture funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and by the InsuResilience Investment Fund, set up by German development bank KfW and managed by Swiss-based impact investment manager BlueOrchard Finance. Financing for the initial preparation and assessment required to implement the programme came from the Rockefeller Foundation and FMO, the Dutch development bank. The programme known as the African and Asian…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has flagged off sales of organic fertilizer produced by a local firm, Sokoto-IML Company Ltd. The company was established in 2017 as a joint-venture entity between the Sokoto state government and IML Industries Ltd. Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Tambuwal said the event is a clear testimony of his administration’s ongoing efforts to enhance the economic well-being of the people of the state. He said apart from the fertilizer company, other policies have been implemented in order to put the state economy in the right direction. “The micro and macroeconomic policies of both…
The House of Representatives has mandated its Committees on Agricultural Production and Services and Water Resources to collaborate with relevant agencies and other stakeholders to ensure that Nigeria became self-sufficient in fish production in the next two years. This followed the House’s unanimous adoption of a motion by Hon. Olawale Raji (Lagos-APC) at plenary on Wednesday. The house tasked the committees to ensure that enabling environment existed for increased private sector investments and development of a policy framework for implementation of a phased ban on importation of fish and fish products. The green chamber also mandated its Committee on Maritime…
The Coordinator of Nigeria Agribusiness Group, Mr Emmanuel Ijewere has stressed that embracing Genetically Modified (GM) foods would increase sufficiency, security and rescue the rural poor from the pangs of hunger. He said that in spite of criticisms that trails the introduction of GM crops in Nigeria’s foods and farming system, GMOs were not new crops invented by scientists, explaining that GMOs were the same conventional crops that were improved on to tackle persistent issues of food shortages and insect infestation on crops. He said that the foods would not only be produced in more quantity, but could also have…
As African heads of State gather in Addis Ababa this week to discuss winning the fight against corruption, Nachilala Nkombo, Country Director of WWF, Zambia and member of the Malabo Montpellier Panel outlines three steps to beat corruption in the agriculture sector – the lifeline for many of the continent’s most vulnerable people. This week, at a meeting of the African Union, heads of state have an opportunity to make progress in the fight against corruption. Corruption cheats the continent’s people and governments out of approximately $50bn each year, money that could be spent on realising the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision of an ‘integrated, prosperous and peaceful…
Nigerian cocoa farmers have threatened to go on a nationwide strike if Federal government does not address the neglect of the sector. The National Executive Council of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), in a communiqué signed by its National President, Raimi Adeniji, the National Secretary, Adeola Adegoke as well as representatives of 14 states after their meeting in Akure, alleged that in spite of the diversification of Nigeria’s economy to Agriculture, government had neglected the sector. The farmers threatened to stage a protest in cocoa producing states in the country as well as in Abuja and Lagos. Faulting…
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), African Development Bank (AfDB) and other stakeholders flagged off the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) to revitalise agriculture in Africa. The AfDB Agricultural Economist and TAAT Programme Manager, Dr Jonas Chianu said at the inauguration which took place in Ibadan on Monday that the multi-year-multi-partner TAAT programme was funded by the regional bank. He further explained that the programme was a concept that was based on ‘Africa Feeding African’ core priority of AfDB and aligned with the bank’s 10-year strategy (2013 to 2022) for inclusive and green growth in the continent. “TAAT…
The Kogi Government has partnered with Synergos Nigeria to evolve a Cassava Value Chain policy as part of efforts to reposition the agriculture sector in line with the Federal Government’s policy. Synergos Nigeria’s Field Manager for Kogi, Benue and Kaduna states, Mr Victor Adejoh, while implementing the State Partnership for Agriculture (SPA) disclosed in Lokoja on Monday that Kogi had concluded arrangements to organise a Mini Summit on Cassava from where the policy would evolve. While disclosing that the summit was a brainchild of the Agricultural Vision Group (AVG) and Agricultural Innovation Group (AIG) of the SPA, he added that…