The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boost

  • Lafarge to boost operations with 310Mw IPP

    Lafarge Holcim, parent company  of  Lafarge Africa  has announced plan to provide additional 220 mega  watts (Mw) of its Independent Power project (IPP) to existing  90 Mw in Southwestern  Nigeria.

    According to the company, this plan will be completed by 2017.

    The General Manager, Independent Power Projects, Lafarge Africa, Mr Lanre Opakunle,  said  with 386.5 metric  tonnes  of installed capacity worldwide netted N6.422.2 trillion ($32.6 billion) last year from  global cement sale, the firm is eyeing a long term investment in  Nigeria, hence, its involvement in the construction of an  IPP in the Southwest and other parts of the country.

    According to Opakunle, Lafarge has already delivered 90Mw of the 50Mw which is already added to the national grid.

    He also said the company is increasing and expanding the capacity of its operations and power supply to its plants in various parts of the country.

    He said its newly constructed 220Mw power plant at Ewekoro, Ogun State, would commence operation soon.

    According to him, the 220Mw power plant at Ewekoro, Ogun State project worth $400 million (N78.8 billion) was executed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Wartsila.

    He said IFC would provide financial and advisory services for the project through InfraVentures, its Global Infrastructure Project Development Fund, while Wartsila would build and manage the power plant.

    He expressed the hope that the project would enhance 1.4 million households’ access to electricity and help mitigate energy problems of many firms in the country, adding that power project remained one of the company’s contributions toward providing an enabling environment for new investments and the nation’s economic growth.

    He added that Lafarge has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ogun State government on the collection and usage of waste, including agro-waste for the waste-to-energy independent power project with a view to generating electricity; creating job opportunities and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and effects of greenhouse gases.

    He however, affirmed Lafarge’s commitment to Ogun State socio-economic growth and development, saying the combustible and re-cyclable energy programme would improve the state economy and create job opportunities in addition to cleaning and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and effects of greenhouse.

    Apart from the Southwest, there are also plans to raise production capacity in the Northeast, Nigeria to four metric tonnes from 0.9, including a 64megawatts coal power plant by 2018 for Ashaka cement company.

    Opakunle also stated that Lafarge plans to also expand its Southeastern operation to five metric tonnes from its present 2.5 metric tonnes whose investment stands at N120 billion.

    For the UNICEM, he said the production capacity will be increased to 12 metric  by 2018 from 8.5 metric tonnes in 2014. This, accordingly, includes construction of N9 billion road, 45Mw gas plant

    He said Lafarge interacts with all actors in the construction chain and makes a net positive contribution to society and nature through sustainable developments which is part of the company’s DNA.

    He assured that Lafarge Africa will continuously strives to create more value for customers and end-users by providing them with the highest quality products and solutions.

  • Group seeks new approach to boost energy access

    Nigeria needs to explore a new market arrangement to boost access to energy, Nigerian Association of Energy Economics president Prof Wumi Iledare, has said.

    He said there was inequity in energy access based on levels of income, and location in the country.

    This situation, he said, means that 52 per cent of Nigeria’s population doesn’t have access to modern energy.

    Prof Iledare, who spoke at a press conference to mark this year’s World Energy Day in Abuja, added that 25 per cent of Nigeria’s population of over 170 million had regular access to electricity.

    The remaining 75 per cent, he said, make do with little or no electricity, adding that 45 per cent of the population was connected to the national grid.

    He said: “This is very vital for our nation because despite the importance of energy to economic development, a large proportion of Nigerians have no access at all to modern energy, in particular, electricity, and for those with access, availability and quality remains a major concern.

    “There is obvious inequity in energy access based on levels of income, and location. Access is nearly 100 per cent in developed countries, compared to 60 per cent in the developing countries. In 2011 alone, the IEA (International Energy Agency) estimated that about 68 per cent of the people in sub-Saharan Africa were without access to modern energy and 52 per cent of Nigeria’s population falls in this category.

    “Using electricity as an example, less than 25 per cent of the total population of over 170 million has regular access to electricity. The remaining 75 per cent make do with little or no electricity. Although 45 per cent of the population is connected to the national grid.”

  • Ikorodu General Hospital gets boost

    Ikorodu General Hospital gets boost

    Senator representing Lagos East senatorial district,  Gbenga Ashafa, has donated a 16-seater bus to the Ikorodu General Hospital, stressing that no effort was too much in assisting the healthcare value chain to perform it duties more efficiently.

    Ashafa, who made the donation through the Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC) Ikorodu Central Local Government, Mr. Rilwan Junaid, gave financial assistance to the hospital to enable it purchase medical supplies.

    According to the senator, the gesture was to complement government’s efforts at providing  Lagos residents with quality healthcare.

    The gesture, he said, was part of his campaign promises to improve healthcare services in his constituency.

    He promised to continue to do more for the people of Lagos East Senatorial District.

    The hospital’s Medical Director,  Dr. Mobolaji Olukoya, while receiving the items, said the gesture would go a long way in improving the hospital services.

  • Rangers get Pape, Adegbite boost ahead of Warri Wolves tie

    Rangers get Pape, Adegbite boost ahead of Warri Wolves tie

    Enugu Rangers’ duo of Pape Ousmane and Rasaq Adegbite are set to be available f for the Sunday’s Glo Premier League Week 32 tie against Warri Wolves after they had spent some time on the sidelines on the account of injuries.

    SportingLife was told by the Flying Antelopes’ Director of Media and Publicity, Foster Chime that Pape trained without pains throughout this week and that Adegbite has presented himself for selection after he also showed no sign of rustiness during training sessions had ahead of the tie.

    Chime also told SportingLife that the club’s former skipper Emeka Eze has also resumed training from the injury he copped recently but that he has not trained enough to gain match fitness that will return him back to the first team.

    He confirmed that all Rangers’ players have received their September, 2015 salaries and that they were also paid some part of their match bonuses to keep them in the right frame of mind ahead of the tough tie against Warri Wolves on Sunday.

    Chime praised the Enugu State government under the leadership of  Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for ensuring that the players are well motivated adding that the players should reply the gesture with a home win against Warri Wolves on Sunday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.

    Rangers are 12th on the log with 44 points from 32 games and may put themselves in the reckoning for a continental ticket if they secure maximum points in their remaining matches starting with the home game with Warri Wolves on Sunday.

  • How local governments can boost food production

    How local governments can boost food production

    With growing population, increasing local food production capacity has become a major challenge for governments at various levels. One critical level of government, stakeholders feel should address the food security issue, are local government councils. Experts believe local governments can change the game if they create an enabling environment for the local food production food system, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    There  have been so much talks about boosting food production across the country.

    The reason for this is not far- fetched – any nation that is not able to feed its citizens cannot claim to have security. Aside this,  there is need to prune down the huge foreign exchange depleted yearly on food importation, espaecially when Nigeria has vast arable land.

    Increasing local food production has become a major challenge for governments at various levels, but experts say grass root planning of food production should be encouraged. They said the 774 local government areas in the country should be encouraged to boost production.

    To this end, farming will strive when the elected bodies charged with administrative and executive duties in matters at the local government levels take farming seriously.

    Of the 774 local government areas, 700 are  based in the rural areas. This implies that a larger percentage of the populace lives in the rural areas and therefore depends solely on agriculture for sustenance. However, experts have expressed concern over the poor state of agriculture within the local government councils.

    Observers agree that with the poor attention to agriculture developmentin the local councils,  growth in the foreseeable future could be threatened.

    Project Director, Cassava Adding to Africa (CAVA), Prof Kola Adebayo, has expressed concern over the absence of strategic plans in the agric sector to ensure that local government chairmen commit efforts and resources towards implementing agric projects and programmes.

    He said local councils could help  to boost food security if they outline a strategic sector plan for agriculture and implement them.

    Like the state governments, he said local government, though inadequately funded, should be able to give a clear picture of where  they  want agriculture to be in the long term.

    For this to happen, he said local  government councils need action plans, key performance indicators, service delivery standards, monitoring and evaluation systems and time lines in order to realise the integrated strategic plan.

    This will also require them to do things differently—with greater speed and urgency and in partnership with farmers, agribusiness, non-governmental organisation (NGOs), and other government departments.

    He lamented that inadequate funding still remains the main impediment to successful implementation of agricultural  programmes, adding that  it is  responsible for lack of delivery and implementation of a wide range of government policies, regulations and programmes undertaken at the local government levels.

    If properly funded and given sdirection, Adebayo said a local government council’s agric department level, should be able to provide farming inputs, technical assistance and value addition.

    He said the quality and efficiency of services delivered by local government councils’ agric department is important in achieving competitiveness in the sector.

    For this reason, he said a new service delivery guideline should be drafted in order to increase the responsiveness and accountability of local government councils’ agric department to farmers’ and agribusinesses’ needs.

    He also decried the lack of infrastructure in the rural areas. This, he said has resulted in these areas not being attractive for investment. to address this, he called for measures that will lead to briging the infrastructure gaps, adding that attention should be given to rural towns and agric service centres.

    A Consultant to the World Bank, Prof Abel Ogunwale, said local population needs more and better roads to improve their lives and help give a much-needed boost to the farming industry.

    He decried the trauma farmers go through when it rains, adding that there were instances trucks get stucked in the mud due to poor rural road network.

    Ogunwale said the bad state of the roads across farming communities is a national problem that takes its toll on vehicles conveying produce from the farms.

    Deterioration of the roads in the rural areas, he noted, has stood in the way of agricultural production, adding that it has hampered plans to expand food production nationwide. He urged local government councils to resolve roads and transportation problems.

    According to him, the agriculture sector, if well harnessed, could be key engine of economic growth. Not only does it put food on the table of Nigerian families at affordable prices and provide raw material for a range of vital purposes, it also supports millions of jobs and is a key economic driver in many rural communities. All measures to increase productivity, he noted, would require increasing yields, diversification to higher value crops, and developing value chains to reduce marketing costs.

    He said localisation of food production, processing and consumption was important in the transformation agenda. One area that the local government councils can provide succour is farm land, which is a major barrier to agriculture. Access to land, according to him, remains one of the greatest challenges to new farmers.

    A lot of farmers have had to grapple with the challenge of limited land.  As a result of this development, there is pressure on farmlands as they are now selling at a market value which is equivalent to land used for residential and industrial uses.

    Most people are selling their farms for building and industrial development. The picture paints many challenges for farmers who increasingly believe that local food is integral to the health and wellbeing of residents, and the economic and social vibrancy of their communities but face the challenge of acquiring prime agriculture land for food production.

    While people believe that government protect farmlands from development, there is concern that it does little to ensure that the land is actually farmed or accessible to farmers.

    According to experts, assisting farmers to access farmlands should be part of a broader strategic response plan which aims to build the resilience of rural livelihoods and local food and nutrition security systems.

    While there are efforts to promote agro-industrialisation nationwide, the Provost, Federal College of Agriculture (FECA), Akure, Ondo State, Dr Samson Odedina said much could be achieved if the councils are supported to create community level  food chain with  efficient infrastructure in place to get food from fields to markets.

    This is because a lot of small and medium-size farms who operate outside the industrial system often lack the  tools necessary to gather, store, and transport food on a scale larger than a farmers’ market.

    He said community-linked food hub will occupy the middle ground between the small scale of a farmers’ market or a community-supported agriculture project and the behemoth of the industrial food system, which pumps massive quantities of processed substances into the pipeline of institutional purchasers.

    With dwindling oil earnings, he urged the various tiers of government to take a more comprehensive approach to food system planning and addressing many challenges that agriculture faces.

    The provost said the little effort made by the academic institution is helping communities around the school.

    For instance, since setting up the point of sale, Odedina said the college has supported the growth of the food and farming zone in the area. Because of the school, he said some areas of the state are   home to safe, high-quality and affordable food grown, harvested and made within the communities, for all to enjoy.

    The college is working to unleash food entrepreneurs, bringing together researchers, farmers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers so they could improve productivity and spark new ideas along the supply chain from farm to fork, from lab to lunch. This, notwithstanding, he said food enterprise zone are needed there, including artisanal food village to sustain a cluster of local artisan food producers around the area.

    Food enterprise zone, according to him, makes it easier for businesses to grow and bring different parts of the food supply chain together, and  ensure greater collaboration between rural businesses, kick-start local food economies and help people develop new skills. Recognising this, he said the college has launched a multi-pronged local food strategy to encourage students and agro entrepreneurs to grow foods within the local areas.

    This, according to him, is to use the students on graduation to support the establishment of food hubs to drive a rural food revolution.

    According to him, a network of food hubs, supported by the college graduates would create jobs nationwide in the food and farming industry, attract investment and add millions to the rural economy.

    Notwithstanding, he said a partnership between farmers and local government councils is win-win, because it allows for technical know-how to be deployed to support the investments that the communities so very much need.

  • Boost for proposed national carrier

    In spite of the notoriety and lack of character often exhibited by a few of our governors, it is still hard to believe that some would divert part of the bailout meant for clearing arrears of unpaid salaries of their workers towards maintaining private aircrafts as was reported by some newspapers last Sunday. If this were true, the planned national carrier has got a boost. A few of the states listed as having either aircrafts or helicopters include Rivers, Taraba, Akwa Ibom, Osun and Lagos. Altogether, the states are proud owners of eight aircrafts and three helicopters with a net worth of about $200m. If we however add the potentials of other states the newspaper did not mention to that of the federal government which has a presidential fleet of about 10 aircrafts including two Falcon 7X jets, two Falcon 900 jets Gulfstream 550and and a Gulfstream iVSP, Boeing 737 BBJ (Nigerian Air Force 001 or Eagle One), Cessna Citation 2 and a Hawker Siddley 125-800 at a total cost of over $350m, the nucleus of the proposed national carrier is already in place.

    It is an open secret that cruising around in private jets by wealthy Nigerians including governors, and prosperity prophets became a fad in the Yar’Adua and Jonathan years. Nigeria, according to Bombardier, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer ranks behind the United States, United Kingdom, and China among countries that top their orders for the supply of its aircrafts. The figure of privately owned jets according to a Forbes publication some two years back, jumped from 20 in 2007 to 150 in 2012. The Guardian on its part, quoting a top official of the NCAA claims that the ‘ownership of the state-of-the-art jets in Nigeria had grown to over 200 in 2012 from 50 in 2008’.

    Of course I don’t think anyone should begrudge Nigerians whether politicians or prosperity prophets who are wealthy enough to regard aircrafts as toys. What should agitate our minds is the source of the wealth of some of the names on the list of private jet owners published by the authoritative Forbes. By strange coincidence, it also happened that some of the proud owners of these private jets are also those indicted by the House of Representatives committee probe on privatization which recommended some privatized firms they fraudulently bought be returned to the state. Also on the list  are some of those involved in the theft of N1.7 trillion through the fuel subsidy fuel scam who have been shielded from prosecution by government in the last three years on the excuse that ‘the wheel of justice grinds slowly in our country’. Similarly featured are prosperity prophets and ‘merchants of grace for sale’ who claim their private jets were gifts from unidentified benefactors.

    In the Jonathan era when ‘stealing was not corruption’ and when implementation of court ruling and House probe recommendations were routinely ignored, government saw nothing abnormal with elected governors and appointed public officials clogging our air space with their shining private jets. Not even the near fisticuff between Governor Mimiko of Ondo and Jimoh Ibrahim, a PDP stalwart at the Akure airport tarmac over who was flying the most expensive private aircraft attracted more than a passing attention from Jonathan government whose only worry was compliance with flight regulations. Thus during the grounding of Amaechi’s jet due to his disagreement with President Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak, his adviser on political matters issued a statement saying “If you are a governor and you are flying a private jet, you must do it within the extant laws…because you are a governor does not give you the license to flout the laws governing your country”. Obviously Jonathan who sometimes moved out for party mobilization along with his vice, the senate president and other PDP stalwarts using four presidential jets did not see anything wrong in governors attending burial or marriage ceremonies using state-funded aircrafts.

    Now, we have been told there is a new sheriff in town who believes ‘stealing is corruption’, declares his readiness to step on toes if that is the only way to implement House probe recommendation that those who confiscated our common patrimony give them up, and who also says keeping a presidential fleet of 10 aircrafts even when leaders of advanced economies fly commercial flights like the rest of those they are elected to serve is an economic crime against the people.

    Part of his campaign promise was to sell off the presidential fleet. That will no more be necessary with the inauguration of a 12-member Ministerial Committee on the establishment of a National Carrier which according to government is justified not just by “economic considerations, but also strategic national interest, national pride and job creation potential”. Since the proposed national carrier will be based on the Public Private Partnership, nine of the 10 aircrafts can be converted to equity in the proposed national carrier. Some of the states that recently took a bailout to pay salaries at 9% interest repayable over 20 years should also be forced to convert their jets to equity on behalf of the taxpayers of their states that currently bear the burden of maintaining them.

    The proposed national carrier will also benefit from a possible confiscation of the shining private aircrafts of those who after benefiting from government bailout of N300b went on to pile up toxic debt of $700m currently being held in trust for our children by AMCON. Governance is all about justice and fairness. And since the new sheriff has said he is answerable to Nigerians and not wheelers and dealers, retrieving parts of our national patrimony confiscated by those elected to keep them in trust for our children through the exploitation of our weak institutions is the reason we have government in place. The alternative will be the law of the jungle which is ‘the survival of the fittest’, which Jonathan and PDP applied in the last six years without ‘giving a damn’.

    Of course, the new sheriff in town must expect vicious attack from apologists of privatization who have for 16 years engaged in wars of attrition among themselves over how to keep what they have immorally confiscated. Kema Chikwe in an effort to outwit Atiku Ababakar who was alleged to be interested in buying off the  Nigerian Airways established in 1958, came up with ‘Air Nigeria’ using two Pakistanis who according to Chris Aligbe, an aviation consultant and an insider, came ‘without even an Air Transport License, let alone an aircraft’ as fronts.  Her “Nigerian Global” alternative failed just as Yuguda’s attempt to bring in South Africa Airline collapsed. Branson of Virgin Atlantic was frustrated out leaving a debt of $260m for Nigerian taxpayers by those who fraudulently claimed to be fighting our battle. Then Jimoh Ibrahim bought Nigeria Airways after claiming liquidation of the N35b owed UBA only for his Air Nigeria to collapse shortly after taking his N35b share of the government N300b aviation sector bailout. PDP hawks did not even allow Princess Oduah’s Air Nigeria One to take off.

    In the weeks ahead they are going to deploy resources towards discrediting the new sheriff’s efforts. They don’t want a national carrier but their own private airlines which will be declared bankrupt after partaking in government bail-out, leaving their toxic loans for AMCON who will keep same in trust for Nigerian taxpayers and their children. What they want is buying off the energy sector after government investment of taxpayers’ money only for them to go back requesting for government bailout and appealing to government for equity participation in companies freshly unbundled by government based on their recommendation. But since Buhari has made a choice to stand by the Nigerian people, he should remain steadfast as the people according to Abraham Lincoln are always right.

  • How to boost cassava yields

    How to boost cassava yields

    The Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State (FECA) and Cassava Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA ) are set to lift farmers through a formula for producing about 50 tonnes of cassava  per hectare. Experts see the intervention taking cassava from a humble root crop to a prized industrial input that will put money in the pockets of many farmers, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Many farming families depend on cassava production, but low and unstable yields are becoming increasingly common. Experts attributed this to farmers using rudimentary agricultural techniques, planting haphasardly and paying little attention to the quality of stem and the use of fertilisers. As a result, productivity has been extremely low and cannot achieve more than 10 tonnes per hectare. This worsens the farmers’ situation and keeps them in a cycle of extreme poverty.

    The situation, however, is going to change. Thanks to the grant funding from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA)  and years of research and development undertaken by the International Institute of  Tropical  Agriculture (IITA). As a result, more than 60 new cassava varieties that have been tested and released and are now being disseminated with successful results. Interestingly, Federal College of Agriculture (FECA), Akure, Ondo

    State, that has adopted some of the varieties for field trials and demonstration is warming to harvest 40-50 tonnes per hectare, one of the highest field production records in Africa. Already, experts say the college’s achievement is an example of how agriculture best practice can enhance current food security. Speaking with The Nation, Project Director, C:AVA 11, Prof  Kola  Adebayo, while  inspecting a demonstration farm at the college, said achieving 40 to 50 tonnes per hectare is the result of focused, relevant research and committed, energetic development . This, according to him, proves that significant yield improvements are possible for agriculture.

    With the outstanding feat  the college is going to achieve, Adebayo said farmers will be  introduced  to a new way of tripling cassava yields, and this will translate to them seeing more money enter their pockets after harvest. Addressing the International Farmers’ Field Day on Cassava Production Enterprise held at the college, Adebayo lamented that returns coming to traditional cassava farmers were not enough for them to achieve a better standard of living.

    Besides, increases in production are mainly achieved through expansion of the area cultivated, rather than through productivity gains. He said CAVA is supporting FECA to set up on-farm research trials, adding that the cassava varieties were tested along with improved production, better agronomical practices – specifically better use of fertiliser.

    He said cassava production is capable of fuelling economic growth and economic development. Prominent in its industrial applications is the use of cassava for glue, biscuits, pharmaceutical products, confectionery, noodles, magi cubes, paper-cartons, animal feed, pastries, mosquito coils, confectionaries, ethanol, textile industrial products, dry cell batteries, toothpaste, biodegradable products and, most recently, the brewery industry is using it as alternative or complementary to sorghum, maize starch and barley. This implies a huge market where farmers can earn revenue.

    The College Provost, Dr Samson Odedina, said the poor yield recorded by farmers is giving him and the management of the college concern, adding that they have found the formula to help the farmers move away from extreme poverty, having set up a demonstration farm that is capable of producing between 40 to 50 tonnes per hectare. Farmers in the south west, he said are going to be earning higher profits by planting cassava on the same field over a 12-month period provided the follow better practices which will be taught by the college.

    Most farms have been yielding about nine tonnes of cassava per hectare, according to him. He said that higher incomes would help many farmers as the college working with CAVA and IITA will offer high-yield varieties to farmers so they could increase productivity and earn higher incomes. He said the college is ready to work with farmers to identify the areas where they need the most support.

    Through short courses, he said the college trains farmers in basic agricultural techniques, such as preparing ridges, making manure and compost, planting systematically with adequate space between plants and applying fertiliser at the right time. He expressed optimistic that the project would help farmers increase their income and could serve as a model for others.  According to him,the demand for cassava is likely to increase strongly in both local and international markets, auguring a bright future for the domestic cassava industry.

    The Programme Manager, Ondo State Agricultural Development Project, Mr  Adeniyan Babasola reiterated the commitment of the state to support the college to help boost cassava cultivation, improve farmers’ productivity and ensure food security. He reiterated the state government’s commitment to achieving food security as cassava is a major staple in the diet of Nigerians. Babasola reiterated the readiness of the government to work with the college to prevent its farm land from being encroached upon by local inhabitants.

    The Project Manager, Cassava Seeds System, IITA, Dr  Richardson Okechukwu  said  the institute  has developed improved varieties and promoted best management practices, creating opportunities for farmers to improve their food security and incomes. He said cassava is a major cash crop that can help drive industrial development while delivering higher incomes to smallholder farmers but many farmers have not learnt the technique.

    He noted that the national average yield was approximately 10 metric tonnes per hectare. He said the institute and its national partners jointly developed improved cassava varieties that have significantly higher productivity in terms of fresh root yields, starch content, and improved disease resistance and environmental adaptability. With the college training, he said Nigerians would benefit from better more diverse and added value products choices on offer contributing to improvements to health and nutrition needs.

    According to him, IITA scientists, in collaboration with national partner institutes and development partners  have  defined which agronomic practices could narrow the cassava yield gap and how these can be scaled up to many farmers.

    On the technical side, Okechukwu IITA has a system of accelerated multiplication of cassava based on the use of ‘ministem’ cuttings. A ministem cutting consisted of only one or two internodes. Ten times more cuttings could be taken from a single plant, vastly increasing the potential multiplication rate.

    He said the project would boost the production of cassava with the availability of improved cassava stems, making food more secure and generating wealth. Okechukwu warned that intercropping of cassava generally affect yield, urging farmers to concentrate on mono cropping as cassava needs quality space and nutrients to increase yields

    He also explained that to make profit, a farmer needs improved seeds, appropriate agronomy information on cassava; necessary strategic information in relation to cassava growth and nutrient needs and market. The  Ghana  CAVA II Project Representative Mr Samuel Nyamekye  said the  country will replicate the experiment  demonstrated  by FECA  as  opportunities for commercial production of cassava will encourage some youth back into farming. CAVA II) Project representative from Uganda, Mr Anthony Ijala said cassava yields had more than doubled thanks to the planting of new high-yielding varieties and the adoption of more sustainable production practices.

    With the steps taken by FECA to improve yields, Ijala sees the cassava industry flourishing. Meanwhile, a two-day regional workshop to review the first phase of the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme’s (WAAPP) Diffusion of Approaches for the Control of Cassava Diseases (DALIMA) Project has opened in Kumasi.

    The project being spearheaded by the Crops Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), aims at maximising cassava production, using disease-resistant planting materials. Research indicates that the sub-region produces about 31 per cent of the world’s cassava, but this is being threatened by viral diseases including the African Cassava Mosaic Virus.

    Funded jointly by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and WAAPP, the DALIMA Project had since its inception in 2009 helped to cultivate about 40 hectares of disease-resistant cassava planting materials across the West African sub-region. Country Director of the project, Dr. Mariam Quain, and also Head of the Biotech Laboratory, CRI, said the new materials were being made available to farmers, citing Benin where farmers had already benefited.

    The workshop, which had in attendance WAAPP Coordinators drawn from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Sierra Leone, Benin, Liberia and Nigeria, and, among other things, was strategised to develop a new road map to sustain the project for the next phase. Quain indicated that the participants would discuss ways of setting up a regional mission on roots and tubers to help advance research and increasing cassava production to ensure food security.

    She stressed the need to deepen collaboration among agricultural scientists, researchers and technocrats to improve the productivity of the cassava value chain in the sub-region.

  • TCN eyes 30 projects to boost wheeling

    As the power generation improves and expected to continue to increase, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has marked out 30 critical projects to expand its wheeling capacity to 8,000 megawatts (Mw) from 5,300Mw.

    Its Managing Director , Dr. Abubakar Rasheed Tambuwal,  told The Nation that TCN has over 130 projects ongoing but chose 30  to equip the transmission network for more generation.

    He said: “We have over 130 ongoing projects from 2002 but some of them were stalled due to lack of fund. Out of those we have identified about 30 which are critical for us to be able to reach the evacuation capacity that we need over next coming years. These are the projects that we have articulated for immediate funding. We are still working with the government. We are putting in our request, so that these critical projects are properly funded.

    “We are not waiting for investors because that will take time for them to come and fund the projects. We are looking inwards from whatever source to be able to get enough money, which I said is a minimum of N15 billion in a year to be able to get the few selected critical projects to proceed to where we would be able to wheel the power to customers.”

    He also noted that the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) has done some transmission projects, commissioned and handed  over to TCN.

    “NIPP is also responsible for generation, transmission and distribution. On the transmission aspect, they execute those projects, commission and hand over to us. We have a way of paying back. We have not started paying back but it is a project that is being funded by the three tiers of the government, we are looking at ways of getting them paid back.

    “But we are working in good harmony with them. All the projects they have been executing in transmission, we are taking over and we are running them,” he said.

    Abubakar said privatisation of TCN  might be in the long-term. “Privatising the TCN, I think, will be in the long term. But TCN is being managed by contractors, Manitoba Hydro International. They have just been renewed one year after the previous contract time elapsed. It is expected that by the time they finish their tenure, the company will be able to be in a status that can be concessioned, that is part of the contract deliverable of Manitoba.

    “So, the company should be able to be concessioned by the government but not outright sale. But decision by the government in the future could involve privatisation but that is not on the table yet. As far as improved generation is concerned, that is why I said we have identified these projects that will make us be capable of transmitting whatever energy that is generated,” he added.

    Abubakar said funding to TCN has not improved considering the fact that a lot of projects are in the pipeline, which need to be bonded and because of the present situation, there is need for additional funding from what we used to have. “We are making all efforts to ensure that we bring funds outside appropriation of government. We have investors who are ready to come in and participate in our investor financing scheme. The scheme is still at its preliminary stage but as soon as we finalise it, we will have investors who are willing to put in their funds to develop our transmission infrastructure. We also expect more funding from the Federal Government to be able to achieve the mandate we have set for ourselves to improve on the transmission capacity,” he said.

    He said the additional funding from the government was vital because generation has improved due to improved gas supply.

  • NFF adopts measures to boost marketing strategy

    NFF adopts measures to boost marketing strategy

    The Executive Committee of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has resolved that due regard and appropriate honour be accorded to all partners and sponsors at all of the Federation’s events and programmes, including matches of all the National Teams.

    It is the first time ever that the NFF is making a policy decision to give its partners and sponsors appropriate treatment and to facilitate the companies’ derivation of maximum mileage from all NFF programmes.

    NFF President Amaju Pinnick led the charge, following a presentation by the football body’s marketing consultant, Mr. Mike Itemuagbor.

    “We are determined to give all our partners and sponsors their due regard henceforth. They put their money into supporting the Federation’s programmes and deserve every respect and honour at all our events,” he said.

    “Certainly, we need more corporate bodies to partner with us in our efforts to seriously improve Nigeria football. But prospective partners will normally do a check on how you treat your current allies before deciding to pitch tent with you. It is natural.”

    Even before Itemuagbor’s presentation, which dwelt on the imperative of taking into consideration the interests of partners and sponsors before making important decisions, Pinnick, Vice Presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, and chairman of the Marketing Committee, High Chief Emeka Inyama had been pushing for new and refreshing attitude towards sponsors.

    Weeks ago, the Executive Committee adopted a comprehensive document tabled by Inyama for an entirely different approach to marketing, as well as to sponsors and partners.

    Pinnick said on Wednesday: “I have said over and over again that what we are doing presently is to focus hard on what needs to be done and summon the courage to do those things. We are carefully putting in place the building blocks for a sustainable football culture, while not forgetting the mission of turning around the National Teams in order that they will always do the country proud at international level.”

  • ‘How to boost small businesses’ performance’

    In order to boost the efficiency and performance of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) recommended the introduction of a flexible corporate governance framework.

    The group in its report titled Governance for All: the implementation challenge for SMEs, noted that the one-size-fits-all approach to corporate governance will not work for small businesses because their needs are vastly different from bigger corporations.

    It stated that corporate governance in larger organisation ensures that management acts as shareholders’ agents, for SMEs , it entails improving business performance and managing risks.

    The findings of the report include clear reporting lines and clarity on decision making and ?risks control, as well as on other matters that need to be brought to the board’s attention for review or approval.

    It added that the framework should promote understanding of roles, responsibilities and limits of each person’s job, and show board the balance of an organisation such as risk and reward.

    The report further noted the need for clear communication by board to management and staff about issues such as strategic goals and expected behaviours, adding that any incentives for staff need to be supportive of board strategies.

    The Chair, Global Forum for SMES, Rosanna Choi while reacting to the report said the framework of corporate governance needs to consider the diverse needs of SMEs in order to work for small businesses.

    “SMEs need to realise the potential benefits of implementing corporate governance within their businesses.

    “But equally, governments, advisors and other stakeholders need to realise the challenge for SMEs is that established corporate governance frameworks have been developed with large, listed companies primarily in mind. Such frameworks and codes may not reflect the realities of running a small business.

    “Governance issues are nevertheless of critical concern to small businesses, where owners may often be its managers as well, or where company ownership may be shared across family members.

    “Sometimes the line between business and personal interest can be blurred. Corporate governance should establish clear roles and responsibilities for each individual and as such is relevant to businesses of all sizes.

    ”For corporate governance to work in small businesses the framework needs to take into account the diverse needs for them-they are not all run in the same way.

    “Advisers and international institutions such as ACCA, need to also help by campaigning for the cause of why corporate governance matters to SMEs-this is vital for creating a receptive environment and overcoming barriers to action,” the reort quoted her to have said.