The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Transforming

  • Transforming postal service delivery processes

    Over the years, the postal industry has played a unique social role in providing for the carriage of private letters and parcels across the globe, thereby encouraging social integration and helping families and friends to remain in contact.  But in the modern digital era in which there are multiple competing means of social interaction, the question which many people still ask is whether the post has any important role to play in the digital world.  The postal sector is great enabler of inclusive society and an important component of socio-economic development.  With many countries stepping up efforts to achieve the mandate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the postal sector remains not only a critical component of the global economy but also reliable vehicle through which inclusive societies could be built.

    Transformation of postal services globally began about 30 years ago, in the early the 1980s.  The scope of the changes envisioned then required financial resources far more than what the postal administrations could afford.  Therefore, outside financial support, including the World Bank and other multi-lateral development investors were seen as possible sources of funding for postal development projects.  It is in this regard that the World Bank’s Private Sector Department (PSD) started promoting worldwide postal reform concepts, especially in developing countries.

    In Nigeria, the desire of the federal government in the middle of the 1980s to disengage itself from direct control and management of the nation’s economy in order to play a more facilitator role led to its decision to hand over the running of some public utilities to private investors.  Against this backdrop, government’s policies during this period were geared towards inviting local and foreign investors to participate in the ownership and management of the government agencies.  The realization that an efficient communication system is the engine of economic growth, it was acknowledged that building a strong communication infrastructure was a means of laying a solid foundation for private investors’ participation.

    It is in recognition of this reality that government started the reform of the communications sector and subsequently split the Post and Telecommunications Department into two separate entities, namely the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) in January 1985.

    Despite the split, the federal government concentrated its attention on the telecommunications sector by funding its capital projects while the postal sector was left to operate as a quasi-department of the Federal Ministry of Communications with outdated postal equipment and collapsed national infrastructure such as roads and transport system.  However, credit should be given to some of the past leaders of NIPOST for taking various initiatives to make the postal industry more vibrant and relevant in the face of fierce competition from the private courier services. These efforts succeeded in drawing government’s attention and consequently led to the granting of autonomy to the organization with the promulgation of Decree 41 of 1992, known as the Nigerian Postal Service Act.  The law granted NIPOST the latitude to use its internally generated revenue to fund its operations and improve postal infrastructure in the country.  Other measures included the introduction of the Nigerian Postcode system to mechanize and simplify mail processing and delivery system through postal facilities (Post Office Boxes and Private Mail Bags), introduction of the National Mail Route Network in partnership with private transporters to guarantee effective distribution of mail within the country and collaboration with communitiesand corporate bodies to increase the post office density within the country.

    It is instructive that despite the efforts to ensure that users of postal services get value for their money, lack of proper or standard addressing system in Nigeria remained a major impediment to the delivery of quality services.  In the single Postal Territory created by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the most efficient postal administrations depend on the service quality level of the weakest in the chain.  This is why the UPU continues to support administrations in developing countries to take measures to improve their address infrastructure in order to take advantage of the opportunities information and communication technologies. Even though that Nigeria has taken giant strides towards developing a standard national addressing system since 2009, but the shift towards digital solutions entails that the authorities in NIPOST needed to be more proactive and incorporate digital solutions in its operations and be reckoned as a market focused organization capable of responding to its customers’ needs.

    One of the enduring legacies which the present NIPOST management will leave behind is the innovations it has introduced into its operations, which, apart from creating opportunities for the staff to express their creative and managerial skills, has also broadened the scope of products and services offered to customers. It is indeed interesting to note that the appointment of Barrister BisiAdegbuyi as the Postmaster General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of NIPOST in August 2016 opened a new vista for the organization.  At a time when public officials use the phrase ‘lack of funds’  as an excuse for their lack of performance, here is a management that is innovating and incorporating various technological solutions into its operations to prove that money is not always the barrier to success when a corporate vision is imbibed and shared by all involved.

    The importance of effective addressing system is very vital to NIPOST success.  The establishment of a well-articulated addressing system for Nigeria is predicated on the importance and role it plays national development beyond the primary role of mail delivery.  This includes such issues as poverty alleviation, provision of essential services, national security, improvement of quality of life and identification citizens.  NIPOST’s introduction of the Digital Addressing System (DAS) and Address Verification System (AVS) is extremely important to the postal delivery network because apart from improving quality of service, increasing consistency and reduce costs, it will also boost NIPOST revenue.  The application of digital solutions for postal operations is highly desirable. However, it requires a synergy with partners who can guarantee constant power supply, security of equipment and increase in broadband penetration.  This was the major reason why the computerization of postal operations in the country in the past was very slow.

    Unlike in the past where postmen search endlessly for customers addresses in order to deliver their items to them with such items sometimes ending up in the hands of the wrong persons who pose as genuine owners, digital addressing has eliminated the problem as it verifies and confirms the customer’s physical address as written by the sender of the item.  It authenticates both a company’s and individual’s addresses.  NIPOST digital addressing system takes care of the peculiarities of Nigeria’s addressing system and evolved a system which best suits the country and with the system, there is no place in Nigeria that is beyond NIPOST delivery capacity.

    By incorporating digital solutions into postal operations, NIPOST has demonstrated that it is ready to take advantage of the enormous opportunities which the Internet is generating, especially in the e-commerce market.  With both the digital and address verification systems, there is no doubt that NIPOST will become a strong partner to its customers including government agencies when it extends its services and solutions along the entire value chain, thereby enhancing new business areas outside its core business.

     

    • Ejiofor is a former staff of NIPOST
  • ‘Union Bank is transforming and in good position’

    ‘Union Bank is transforming and in good position’

    Union Bank celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. If there were doubts about the bank achieving the objectives of its Transformation Agenda, they have been cleared, going by the resounding success recorded since the transformation journey began. The Bank’s Transformation Director, Joe Mbulu, in this chat with Group Business Editor SIMEON EBULU, says it all.

    Transformation Director is a new nomenclature in Nigeria’s banking sector. What is it meant to achieve for the bank and its customers?

    The Transformation Director is responsible for driving the transformation of an organization, in this case Union Bank. So the task is clear; it is about translating the bank’s strategic goals into actionable initiatives, setting up a transformation governance structure to ensure success, communication and engagement around the transformation initiatives and ultimately delivering results.

    We have seen elaborate modernization in your branches across the country. How impactful has this been?

    It has been very impactful as measured by improved business indicators as well as feedback from our customers, stakeholders and even our competitors.  We have not just modernized our branches but have used the opportunity to relocate to centers of new business. We have also managed our spaces better for greater efficiency in line with the current, more technologically focused needs of our customers.

    For example, we have Smarter Banking Centers in some universities and higher institutions of learning and other busy hubs. At these centers, customers are able to perform all banking services electronically and have the opportunity to engage our Contact Centre for assistance via video conferencing when necessary.

    In unveiling these new branches and locations across the country, we have developed a high number of new business relationships as well as deepening of existing relationships.  This has been aided by the parallel launch of our innovative targeted savings products such as UnionKorrect and UnionGoal.

    How far do you intend to go with this Transformation Agenda, any timeline?

    Our Transformation has no end-date.  What we have built over the past three years is a deep foundation on which the bank will continue to evolve and remain relevant to its customers.  We have built on a foundation of quality; this includes the quality of our talent, platforms, customers and also the quality of customer experience.

    How has this positioned the bank for competition and profitability?

    We measure our success using leading indicators and are assured that we are on the right path. For instance, we have grown active customer base by over 40 per cent in two years. We have more than doubled the number of customers on our UnionOnline and UnionMobile platforms.  We have seen electronic transactions increase four-fold over the same period.  The quality of our channels is reflected in the simple fact that Union Bank ATMs are preferred by non-Union Bank customers as indicated by the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) statistics.

    We had to make a lot of changes to get here. You know change can be tough but with good Change Management techniques we were able to manage the transformation successfully. We had to change ourselves, our products and services. When we were sure we had made good progress, we started to engage the public by unveiling our new brand image and tag line, ‘building a simpler, smarter bank’, now ‘your simpler, smarter bank’.

    We have been profitable since we started the Transformation and will get stronger.

    Union Bank is celebrating its 100 years of operation. What does it look like being around for a century?

    Obviously, no current employee has been around that long!  However, we see Union Bank as an institution with a legacy that is worth sustaining and building on.  At some point, there was the temptation to change the bank’s name but it became clear to the board and management that in Union Bank, we have a ‘trusted partner’ legacy that is worth holding on to.

    With our transformation, we can say we are a ‘100-year old youthful bank.’  We are proud of our legacy in Nigeria and will remain committed to our esteemed customers, who have been loyal through thick and thin.

    How come this transformation left the bank’s name intact?

    Being here for a hundred years means Union Bank is known across the country and even beyond. The legacy of Union Bank is one of trust, reliability and strength. This year, we organized centenary celebration events across the country just to meet with and appreciate our loyal customers and many of them had very inspiring stories of what Union Bank means to them and how it helped them achieve their dreams and goals.

    People tell stories of how Union Bank made them. Union Bank paid their school fees, gave scholarships to them, helped them with their first business loan, and has been with them throughout their careers – 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years. This is a legacy we couldn’t throw away. Union Bank is an inspiring, resilient generational bank and we realized that we made the right decision to retain the name – Union Bank – while we continue to evolve and transform to meet the needs of new generations.

    What has been your experience at Union Bank so far?

    My experience has been shaped by my personal desire to drive positive change and the transformation of the iconic Union Bank has been a course worth pursuing.

    I am satisfied with the quality of the results of our transformational initiatives so far and I’m seriously expectant as we watch our success indicators grow year on year. I am a forward looking person so my desire for continuing transformation is stronger today than when we started this journey.

    Have you met some brick-walls?

    I will call them challenges not brick walls.  No serious-minded endeavor succeeds without challenges. For instance, the bank had to manage people from different cultures coming into the organization as we revamped our employee base in the last three years. To manage this challenge, we evolved a People and Culture Transformation work stream to articulate and execute initiatives related to defining the desired Union Bank culture and values. This work continues today.

    We also had typical execution issues for projects.  We overcame these via quick and efficient monitoring and issues resolution in the Transformation governance meetings. The firm and fair culture in the Transformation function and processes ensured that the integrity of the Transformation process was not in jeopardy at any point in time.

    Looking at the other side of the banking spectrum, the rural areas. How is this agenda going to impact them and influence their behavior?

    We have branches across the country and we haven’t discriminated in terms of upgrading the quality of the branches, the people or the services. We have also realized, same as the industry, that the branches alone are not adequate to drive financial inclusion.

    So what we have done is to develop products and services to bridge this gap. For instance we now have USSD banking with *826# code. Everyone who has a phone can use this, so you can easily open an account, send money and much more. You truly don’t have to come to the bank, because with *826#, you can do a lot of things.

    We are also, through innovative partnerships, extending our services through these partners to reach the unbanked. So when it comes to collecting cash, which is the only thing we cannot do through *826#, we are able to do that and do it in a safe way though our Direct Sales Agents (DSAs) who can come to you on request. The systems have been developed in such a way that the agent that receives money records it into your account and you get an alert immediately, even before he/ she leaves.

    You could actually go on our UnionMobile app, check out where this agent is, in relation to where you are and invite them to come pick up cash from you, so you don’t need the branch to deposit it. We have developed these apps and tools to make banking easier. That is the new Union Bank.

    What of the not too literate?

    For those who are not literate, we have tellers who can attend to them in their local dialect and guide them through the transactions they need to do.

    How about cost? At what cost have you come this far?

    I’m actually glad to let you know that judging from the cost to income ratio, we have actually done better than where we were five years ago and we will continue to leverage what we have done. We have new technological infrastructure, we hired great people and developed new services, new products, and new partnerships. These things cost money, but we have taken money out of things that don’t add value and moved them into more productive use.

    In closing, without transformation where would Union Bank have been?

    We can speculate about where Union Bank would have been but no one really knows. The great thing is that Union Bank is the only bank that went through the intervention in 2009 yet kept its name, did not need to merge with another bank, got recapitalized as required and continues to do very well.

    Union Bank is transforming, that is even more important. We are in a good position because of what we’ve done with technology, our products and our people too. Our customers’ interests will continue to be at the heart of our operations and we will continue to use all our skills, competencies and abilities to satisfy their banking needs as we aim to deliver on our strategic objectives.

  • Transforming food production through technology

    Technology is making farming exciting. It is addressing many challenges of would-be farmers, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Technology is opening vast untapped potential for farmers, investors, and entrepreneurs to improve the efficiency of food production and consumption. From farming to promoting efficient food supply chain, technology is bringing major benefits to the sector.

    One organisation bringing change to agriculture is Growsel. This is because it offers opportunity to those looking to get involved in agriculture, an opportunity to invest in food production either as farmers or investors.

    Founded by digital entreprenuer, Mr. Jerry Oche, Growsel provides an online meeting point for investors and farmers to work towards a fruitful harvest, where the investor can get from between 15 and 30 per cent of his investment as profit. The farmers, on the other hand, can now have quick access to funds for their farming projects and get exposed to best global agricultural practices, as the company does not seem to be taking chances with quality and the implementation of standard farming practices.

    According to the company, prospective farmers, who registered at the platform, are  screened to ensure that they meet up with the basic accreditation standards stipulated for every local farmer. Some of these include being a member of their local associations and getting a recommendation from other farmers, as well as the local ruler or chief. After a farmer has been approved and registered on the Growsel platform, insurance professionals from partner insurance companies will assess the farm and the appropriate insurance cover that would cover the risk exposure of the farm, and subsequently issues the farmer a policy. Growsel ensures that best practices are complied with by providing the farmers with improved seeds and seedlings, fertilisers, tractors and other farm inputs that would be needed to make the most of each farm project within a given farming season.

    Also, seeds are sourced from experts at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and are estimated to produce a certain amount of yield, which should guarantee increased returns for farmers and the investors’ profit. In addition, measures have been put in place to ensure that the investor gets the agreed profit, boasted that the seeds used for cultivation are of an enhanced variety.

    With over 150 farmers currently on the platform, and a pull of investors, Growsel is revolutionising agric business in Nigeria, and is still calling on more investors and farmers to join the process.

    When a farmer requests for funding once his registration is complete, the Growsel’s farm location managers moves out to carry out a proper verification of the farm and the farmer, during which an endorsement of the farmer by other farmers and local chiefs or leaders in the community where the particular farm is located, would be required.

    On the other hand, an intending investor would need to sign up on the platform, after which a welcome email would be sent to him or her. Once signed up, an investor can browse through the site to see which farm projects he/she would be interested in. A certificate, showing ownership of a particular farm project, will be issued to the investor once he/she selects a particular farm project to invest in. Afterwards, investors can monitor activities on their farm projects via their dashboards.

    The most interesting thing about all this is that with as low as 50,000 naira, anyone can be an investor on Growsel, with a guaranteed return on the investment at end of the crop cycle.

    FarmCrowdy is an agric-tech platform, which creates middle class Nigerians with small scale farms in order to boost food production.

    On how it works, partners on the platform can sponsor any farm of their choice including maize, poultry (broiler), cassava and tomato farms. The partners then get bi-weekly updates about their farm progress, including pictures and videos from the farmers. Also, Farm Partners can visit their farms if they wish to at any point in time to learn about the farmer they’ve partnered and the farm products they are working on. The organisation has a website that people can visit to buy off maize, rice, cassava, poultry farms. Investors can sponsor  a farmer  and up take the produce at the end of harvest.

    Chief Executive Officer, FarmCrowdy, Onyeka Akumah, explained that unlike the out grower model that gives input and allows farmers to just go and do all the work, what they  do with the input is that the farmer gets money coming from the sponsors, so the sponsor holds them accountable to make sure that the farmer does the work. On their part, the organisation holds the farmers accountable to make sure they deliver what the off-taker wants, so that they can get harvest at the end of the day that the off-taker will buy, and then they will sell and pay the sponsors back in return for their money.

    According to him, his organisation is partnering International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and others to train farmers to farm while and improve yields.

    Right now, the organisation is handing sponsorship, which is the investment that goes into the farm and the production. The other area they are getting involved in is the logistics of moving the produce to the off-takers and the marketing of the value chain to off-takers.  FarmCrowdy was launched in September last year. The company has attracted over 1000 farmers already.

    Akumah said the organisation has acquired   500 hectares of maize farm in Jos, 280 hectares of rice farms in Edo State, Saboginda-Ora, among other investments.

    Another technology is Cellulant  that worked with the Federal Government to launch an e-wallet programme to aid  farmers directly redeem government subsidised seed and fertiliser vouchers from retail shops and in effect double their income.

    While Cellulant is “transforming” itself to a mobile payment company, Agrikore its agric-focused arm, monitors the implementation of agricultural schemes where every farmer can access financial services, productivity enhancing technologies & best practices, access to markets for inputs and access to output markets, all enabled via the mobile phone.

    Co-Founder of Cellulant Corporation, Mr. Bolaji Akinboro, said the technology, which originated from  Nigeria, is the gift of Cellulant to humanity. According to him, the  technology gives small holder farmers access to agricultural inputs of improved varieties/breeds, fertiliser, and agro-chemicals, making it the backbone of increased productivity and profitability of value-added chains.

    After the success they  recorded in Nigeria, Akinboro  said the Afghanistan government gave Cellulant  to introduce the e-wallet system to  its small holder farmers.

    According to him, the  e-wallet system provides a holistic system to link the farmers to agricultural inputs supply chain, finance and markets through integration with mobile network operators, input markets, extensions services, financial service providers, commodity market, and insurance service providers.”

    Since its launch in 2011, Cellulant’s E-wallet has facilitated the distribution of over $1 billion in fertiliser subsidies to farmers under the Growth Enhancement and Support (GES) programme, a component of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

    “Over and over again we have seen Africans, through various innovations, prove that the impossible is made possible when the needs of the consumers are at the centre of the solutions provided. GES is certainly a testimony to this. Delivery of a programme of this scale and at this speed is a first for Nigeria considering that the entire agro-dealer network had to be rebuilt from the scratch,”said Akinboro.

  • Transforming lives through nutrition-sensitive agric

    Transforming lives through nutrition-sensitive agric

    Efforts to enhance smallholder farmers’ involvement in profitable food production have led to a variety of nutrition-sensitive farming activities. Following this, a national campaign to promote healthy, attractive and sustainable food options in farming is gathering momentum. It’s success across Nigeria is pushing the campaign to West Africa. DANIEL ESSIET, reports.

    Executive Director, Development Dynamics, Aladimma, Owerri, Imo State, Dr. Jude Ohanele works to increase crop yields for farmers.

    He helps farmers to grow and  expand nationally. Not only is he is determined to empower farmers to   ensure food security. He believes transformation of agriculture to business is one way to get enterprising farmers practice profitable agriculture.

    He helps farmers in bankable project proposal preparation, integrated farming system, low cost production techniques, and as well provides training.

    He said there are opportunities in agriculture, such as processing, value addition, warehousing packaging and producing consumer friendly products.

    He is very happy with the service he is providing to farmers and  is bringing livelihood and improvement in the farming community.

    One area he has recorded success is in promoting bio-fortified maize and cassava.

    Bio fortification is a process by which crops are bred in a way that increase their nutritional value. With Harvest Plus’s support and continued encouragement, he is able to serve farmers in the State.

    Ohanele has been part of Harvest Plus team championing farmers’ change of mind-set to embrace nutrition focused farming.

    As a result, some of his farmers in Imo State have established farms and are producing bio fortified maize and cassava.

    Many of these farmers are growing varieties of maize and potatoes enriched with vitamin A through bio fortification.

    The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a UN food agency, considers malnutrition—caused by a lack of essential micronutrients such as iodine, iron, zinc and vitamin A in diets—a threat to millions of African lives.

    He goes to farmers and do field demonstration, educate them about bio fortified maize and cassava. Though farmers were initially hesitant to go for new practices, educated farmers slowly started adopting it.

    For  Harvest plus Nigeria , the  idea behind bio fortification is to breed nutritious plants, a process which experts consider much cheaper than adding micronutrients to already processed foods.

    It is a smart method to fight malnutrition, say agriculturists and nutritionists. The campaign so far has been successful.

    Buoyed by this, Harvest plus Nigeria has taken the campaign  to the Sub region.

    It is partnersing Ashoka, a global organization that identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs — individuals with innovative and practical ideas for solving social problems to execute the campaign.

    Ohanele, is among leading social entrepreneurs, who make up Ashoka Nutrient Value Chain network.

    The focus destination  was Ashoka Workshop on Cluster Nutrition in West Africa which held in Ouaga, Burkina Faso.

    The quest for more nutritious foods for Africans was the subject of the conference.

    At that conference, Ashoka fellows   discussed ways to start a sub-regional-wide adoption of bio fortification.

    Introducing the campaign, at the event, the HarvestPlus Nigeria Country  Manager, Dr  Paul Ilona  said reaching a billion people with bio fortified crops is an ambitious target, but the success of bio fortification programmes in target countries proves that it is feasible.

    That success,  according to him, has been built with key actors locally. The partnerships, encompassing public and non-governmental organizations as well as the private sector, are driving the adoption and mainstreaming of bio fortified crops. Ilona said his organisation partnership with Ashoka network fellows across West Africa  was meant to support  social entrepreneurs working on nutrition based farming and food production.

    According to him, the potential for introducing micronutrient and bio fortified foods is immense because smallholder farmers are challenged by micronutrient deficiencies and solicited the support of social entrepreneurs,to help in promoting bio fortification to tackle challenges in food and nutrition security, saying  that the benefits of bio fortification in crops are obvious.

    He explained that  HarvestPlus  plans to develop more varieties of crops that will provide adequate vitamin A, zinc or iron.

    In Nigeria, Harvest Plus has been  able to create an online platform where consumers buy a range of cassava products from various convenient locations.

    This facilitates the efficiency benefits of larger scale for distribution and consumption of biofortified  food  products, the nutritional benefits of eating locally produced foods, and the social and economic benefits of trust-building between buyers and sellers.

    Driven by positive outcomes of the local campaign , Ilona said  extending the enlightenment campaign to the sub region is necessary to boost regional public knowledge of nutrition based farming and food production.

    A total of 10 countries were represented including Gambia, Senegal, Belgium, Benin Republic, Switzerland, France, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and the host country Burkina Faso.

  • Transforming the transport system: The LAMATA example

    It seems that all too often many Lagosians are more than familiar with the unending gridlock on Lagos roads.This causes commuters to be more strategic in planning their movements. In many cases most Lagosians will not want to be caught on the Lagos Island from 4pm for fear of getting stuck in the popular Third Mainland traffic snarl.

    Considered the sixth largest city and one of the most rapidly urbanising metropolitan areas of the world with a population of over 20 million inhabitants and an annual growth rate of nearly six per cent, the state is one of the world’s mega cities. This rapid urbanisation and exploding population combined with the poorly executed development plans and poor infrastructure is one of the major reasons for the numerous transportation problems and continuous traffic gridlock in most parts of the state.

    Geographically, the metropolitan area of Lagos is also fast spreading, now extending beyond the borders of the state into the neighbouring Ogun State in the north. Commuter trips are therefore growing both in length and number.

    This population compared to the infrastructure in the state makes it a difficult task for the government to continue maintaining and providing adequate infrastructure for every resident within the state as the sprawling urbanisation has pressurised infrastructure to breaking point. The resultant effects have been increasing traffic congestion, worsening state of roads disrepair, deteriorating physical attractiveness and comfort of road-based public transport and high transport fares.

    The absence of effective rail and water mass transit system and the over reliance on road based transportation system has contributed to the number of road accidents recorded, increasing rates of traffic-related emission and atmospheric pollution.

    However, this has not deterred the state government from addressing and improving the complex transport situation in the state. One of the cardinal and strategic efforts made was the creation of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to coordinate transport policies, programmes and actions of all agencies at different tiers of government within the State.

    LAMATA is envisioned to provide a strategic planning platform to address long neglected transport needs of the metropolis and co-ordinate activities of the different executing agencies to provide a common and consistent basis for implementation.

    This led to the formulation of the Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP) aimed at transforming the  transport sector beyond its current challenges. The plan identifies possible transport infrastructure and services required to meet growing travel demand for the state by 2032. This plan will be achieved under the Lagos Urban Transport Project (LUTP) 1 and 2, which is the phased implementation of the state government transport sector policy and strategy designed to resolve main issues identified by various studies conducted by the state government with the World Bank between 1988 and 1996.

    The LUTP 1, the first phase of the project was implemented between 2005 and 2010. It had five major components, which roughly correspond to the six-point transportation strategy of the government. These include Institutional strengthening and capacity building, urban road network efficiency improvement, bus services enhancement, water & Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) promotion and rail mass transit. One of the land mark projects implemented under LUTP 1 was the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Lite system, a 22km partially segregated BRT corridor from Mile 12 to CMS.

    The LUTP 2, a follow-up of phase of LUTP 1, has as its major objective to improve the capacity to manage the transport sector in the Lagos metropolitan areas and enhance efficiency and effectiveness of the public transport network, through a combination of traffic engineering measures, management improvements, regulation of the public transport industry, and expansion and enhancement of BRT system.  It has four major components, which include institutional development and capacity building, improvement of public transport infrastructure and enhancement of traffic management, improvement of the state metropolitan road network and Project management and monitoring.

    The implementation of LUTP 2 led to the extension of the BRT corridor from Mile 12 to Ikorodu and the launch of 434 new Air Conditioned BRT buses in November 2015 by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. Thus far the BRT extension project has transported over 60 million passengers between its launch in November 2015 and last April creating more than 1000 more jobs in the state. Another feat achieved under this project is the upgrade of 44 bus shelters including the newly constructed Ikeja bus terminal,rehabilitation of WEMPCO road in Ogba and Akin Adesola road on the Island.

    The BRT extension project yielded specific results, which include average public transport waiting time reduction from 30minutes to 10minutes, journey time savings from 120 minutes to 30 minutes, road traffic journey time reduction from 120mins to 55mins, bringing average transport cost down from N300 to N190.

    The Wempco and Akin Adesola roads projects solved the annual perennial road flooding along the corridors.

    Under these projects, an affordable transport fare has been created for the populace; also infrastructure provided is socially inclusive with ramps and stairs for the different classes of public transport users, reduction in carbon dioxide (co2), reduction in public transport related accidents and increased satisfaction with public transport.

    LAMATA is committed to the delivery of the STMP, the roadmap towards providing an integrated multi-modal public transport system for the State.

    The improved transportation infrastructure and services delivered by LAMATA under LUTP 1 and 2 have significantly contributed to the overall achievements and successes recorded by the state government.

     

    Balogun writes from Lagos

  • Transforming Ogun through road construction

    SIR: The presence of citizens of Ogun State, especially the optimists, who have been following the developmental trend of the Senator Ibikunle Amosun administration. It is a surprise to the pessimists who have wondered – ‘where will the fund come from?’

    While many states of the federation battle with payment of salaries of staff, Ogun State Government has continued to pay its workers’ salaries as and when due without leaving other developmental projects unattended to.

    The on-going ‘Ogun standard ‘roads construction work witnessed across the three senatorial districts of the state which has the ability to transform the state into an industrial hub is worth mentioning. The massive springing up of industries in the state confirms that road construction is a need in the present Ogun State and not a want using the basic secondary school knowledge of economics. The planning of any major transportation network should be preceded by economic calculations of the benefits to be derived which could either be direct, to the road users, or indirect, the economic value it will add.

    The question that I cannot stop asking myself is ‘When will our people understand the difference between needs and wants in setting priority?  Basic fundamental   understanding of economics is enough to help a lame man differentiate between his needs and his wants.

    The presence of construction companies on different roads across the three senatorial districts is a development that should gladden the heart of any lover of progress that Ogun State would be better off in the nearest future. Some of the Ogun Standard roads under construction are; Lafenwa-Ayetoro road, Sango-Ijoko road, Ilishan-Ago-Iwoye road-bridge, Atan-Agbara road, Ilo-Awela road, Magboro township road among others.

    There wouldn’t have been a better time to give priority to projects that can attract investors into the state with the purpose of increasing its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Apart from shaping the environment and giving it a good new look, good road system has the capacity to shape the development of the state. Little will one wonder why it is referred to as the bedrock of any economy.

    For this and many other developmental projects embarked upon by the State Government, I say kudos to the Senator Amosun-led government.

     

    • Gbemisola Salau,

    Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

  • Transforming agric via local technology

    Transforming agric via local technology

    For many farmers, affordable machines is a major problem. At the moment, some Nigerians are producing these machines in large scale to help small and large scale farmers meet the challenge of food production. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    One of the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s policies is to  boost agricultural productivity. While production rose  sharply in recent months, coverage in terms of acreage and speed of processing, is still significantly lower than global standards.

    Population growth, rising incomes, and dietary changes are exerting an immense demand pressure on agriculture.Though blessed with large arable land and incredible biodiversity, Nigeria’s agriculture is facing challenges in the resources it requires to deliver interms of growth in supply.

    Experts believe farming can made more profitable, if agricultural technology is increased.

    One of them is the Group Managing Director,  Niji Group, Kolawole  Adeniji. The dream of stakeholders, such as Adeniyi, is an agriculture ecosystem, encompassing, agri-chemicals,agri-technology, agricultural equipment, biotechnology and organic foods.

    He  emphasised the need for farmers to move towards mechanisation, adding that future adoption of agricultural technology and innovations is capable of revolutionising the sector.

    However, a series of agricultural innovations, including use of advanced machinery, chemical fertilisers and hybrid seeds is helping to increase Nigeria’s agricultural productivity.

    Adeniji is a farm mechanisation and automation entrepreneur  trying to fundamentally improve agriculture. He is a trained mechanical engineering technologist with over 27 years’experience working on diverse agro-allied projects across Nigeria and Africa. He designs and manufactures innovative agricultural machines for farmers. Within the industry, he is regarded as a maverick who likes to try everything that challenges his skills and wits.

    He is determined to not only mechanise agriculture, but also take his skills and know-how to the global arena. The Niji Group he  founded in 1991 has  grown into a successful and award-winning supplier of metal fabricating machines and services.

    These include packaging machine, hydraulic-presser, hammer mill, grater,automatic gari fryer, hydro-cyclone, automated-seive, bone crusher, cooling-bowl,cooling tablefor plantain,flash dryer,filter-press,fish-smoker,horizontal peeler centrifuge, shellers, water pumps, welding machines, ox-carts, produce driers, grain cleaners, cassava chipping machines and any other post-harvest handling equipment.

    His list of food and agro processing plants that he can fabricate for  food entrepreneurs include cassava starch, gari processing,plantain chips,yam flour and fufu processing.

    Kolawole attributes his success to the delligence and commitment of his staff, adding that they have helped to maximise fabricating technology to meet customers’ demands.

    He ploughed back his initial profit from the business into acquiring  key equipment to support production of newer and more complex fabrications.

    Having made a mark in machine fabrication, Kolawole established Niji Farms and Allied Services Limited,  which is spearheading green revolution with large farm land located at Ilero in Kajola Local Government of Oyo State.

    IITA and the Niji Lukas Group (Nigeria) have been collaborating on cassava processing machine design, fabrication testing and commercialisation. Niji Lukas serves as a planting material grower and supplier to HarvestPlus, a part of the CGIAR Research Programme on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) aimed at developing and promoting biofortified food crops.

    The farm has planted 225 acres of Vitamin A cassava including foundation seeds. Varieties include the TME Series 419, 581 and 30572. Other crops planted are 30,000 stands of yam and 3000 suckers of plantain.

    Emmanuel  Ntiti, based in Calabar, the Cross River State capital,  has been involved in a range of interventions— efficient farm and water management, to address the problem of farm productivity, farm machinery workshop. He is a prominent stakeholder in the agro-allied machinery and equipment fabrication in state. His concern is that lack of technology-based intervention in food and agribusiness has lead to low productivity and severe post-harvest losses.

    As Head of Department, Government Technical School, Calabar, Ntiti  has  fabricated a machine for extraction of kernel oil,  small-scale palm oil mill,processing of  cassava and garri and recovery of oil s from oilseeds  and machinery for bulk production of food items.

    He has developed a lot of equipment and machinery leading to productivity enhancement in the agricultural and the post-harvest processing sectors. He runs a small scale workshop and has developed some user-friendly farm operation tools. His machines can be operated with diesel and petrol. They are designed for simple, quick and safe installation, ensuring great value and quick turnaround.

    For now, the food processing sector, is  a high priority area for him, as  the sector is also gaining importance. Since the market of food processing industries comprises small and marginal players, Ntiti  is working on machines for cassava and grain processors.

    He gets his jobs through recommendations of users. He aims to improve mechanisation at farms with the use of high quality farm equipment.

    For outstanding work, Ntiti has been recognised by  the Cross River State Government.

    While efforts, such as introduction of high-yielding varieties and expansion of irrigated area have played a crucial role in achieving the goal of food self-sufficiency in the past, Ntiti believes demand for food, requires building efficiencies in agriculture through efficient mechanised cultivation to facilitate timely, precise and scientific farm operations, increasing farm input and labour use efficiency.

    A lot of local fabricators  are working  on food processing machinery comes to meet the demands of companies that produce beverages, bakery items, frozen food, fruit, meat, poultry, snack food, vegetables and other edibles across the country.

    Such machines include dryers, feeders, fryers, grinders, mixers, roasters, separators, slicers and ovens.

    Local institutions have recorded technological advancements in cutting, slicing and grinding.

    They are creating  standard design products that meet customers’  needs.

    The Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) has been key to a robust transformation in the food system, expanded local agro-industry and value addition as well as improved management of resources for sustainable agricultural production.

  • Transforming cassava leaves into livestock feed

    Transforming cassava leaves into livestock feed

    Efforts are being made to transform cassava leaves and waste into livestock feeds. This will be a big business for farmers, writes Daniel Essiet.

    Cassava is a staple food, which plays a major role in the food system. Its tubers are rich in carbohydrates, calcium and ascorbic acid.

    Today, cassava has multiple uses and markets, ranging from consumption as food to processing into wet and dry starch. It is also processed into higher value food and industrial products, such as noodles, glucose, and maltose to textile starch, pharmaceuticals, cardboard, and glue. Starch extracted from it is used by a wide variety of industries—food, pharmaceutical, paper, adhesive, textile, mining and others.

    In the past four years, the government has tried to ensure cassava flour is substituted for wheat flour in baked products to reduce wheat import.

    Altogether, the market demand for cassava and value-added products are so strong that many Nigerians are  encouraged to grow it as a cash crop. Besides, the  multi-purpose cassava has attracted many projects and programmes working on its value chain. Several organisations are involved in processing to help drive industrial development while delivering higher incomes to smallholder farmers.But its use as a livestock feed has also been investigated. It  can be used as a substitute for feed grains as its leaf meal contains at least 20-percent protein.

    Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) is at the forefront of getting farmers and processors to explore income opportunities from using cassava leaves for livestock feeds.

    Consequently, ARMTI is exploring ways of processing cassava leaves to provide a sustainable source of animal feeds, increase incomes for farmers and boost food security.

    Its Acting Executive Director, Dr Olufemi Oladunni, sees the potential for further scaling-up improved livestock feeds with cassava leaves as huge.

    He believes use of cassava leaves as animal feed can reduce the high cost of feed, increase livestock production and create job opportunities.

    Addressing a seminar on “Unlocking the potentials of cassava leaves as livestock feed” in Abuja, Oladunni said the mission of  ARMTI was  to identify and analyse problems and needs and develop appropriate interventions.

    As such, generating a new feed resource from cassava leaves will lead to a reduction in the spate of conflict between crop farmers and herdsmen.

    One of the projects Oladunni has in the mind to boost this campaign is a feed mill where livestock feed made from cassava leaves could be packaged and sold in markets.

    Right now, there are few or none of such special feed mills across the country.

    Where they exist, they should produce poultry, pig, fish and dog feeds, using  cassava leaves. Promoting the establishments of such mills, Oladunni believes would not only enrich the farmers financially, but will also help other poultry or livestock farmers in accessing feeds at their door step.  ARMTI will be ready to assist  would be investors with training, technical services and advice.

    But the institute  is not alone in this project. The Federal Government is showing support, believing it can help to curb farmers-herdsmen clashes. It has huge potential once there is a functional   cassava leaves value chain geared towards processing such leaves into livestock feeds.

    Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world with a production figure of 50 million metric tonnes. “Cassava is a major food crop in Nigeria. “It is strategically valued for its role in food security, poverty alleviation and a source of raw materials for agro-allied industries in Nigeria with huge potential for export market. “It provides livelihood for over 30 million farmers,’’ the minister said.

    Represented by Dr Egejuru Eze, the Director, Animal Production and Husbandry Services in the ministry, during  the seminar in Abuja, Ogbeh said  the livestock industry had been bedevilled by some practices hence, the clashes.

    He said livestock could increase productivity, including milk yield and body weight, when fed with cassava leaves.

    According to him, cassava leaves have been found to be a good source of crude protein when made into silage.

    Lufarmco Investment Managing Director, Prof. Dolapo Lufadeju  and a consultant to the institute on the project  said Nigeria had not been able to move from pastoralism to domesticating cattle due to lack of feed.

    He said pastoralism had practised all over the world, especially in the United Kingdom, United States, and Russia, adding that it was after such countries had developed their livestock industry into a business that they began to domesticate cattle.

    He said they succeeded because they had all the feed their cattle needed. “Here we don’t have anything on which our cattle are based upon and development is fast catching up with the system of pastoralism. That is the reason for the conflict between farmers and herdsmen. What we are looking at is a major cattle industry that needs to be developed as a business. Crop production has advanced, but nothing has happened in terms of development of livestock in this country,’’ he added.

    Lufadeju maintained that cassava leaves could be used  for livestock feeding. His  words: ‘’Cassava hay or cassava leaf meal  have been used as a protein supplement in goats, sheep or cattle fed on poor quality diets have positive effects on animal performance.’’

    The Lufarmco Investment chief explained that one important constraint of cassava leaves for livestock is the  abandonment of the leaves on farmlands after harvest.

    He attributed it to the logistics involved during the collection of the product to obtain sufficient quantities.

    He said the aggregation of cassava leaves from scattered small farms is of  importance. To consolidate the use of cassava leaves, he  urged  the government to put  in place a system to harness all available cassava leaves for value addition.

    He  added: “ This way, cassava leaves would be efficiently integrated into the cassava value chain as livestock feed resource. This is, particularly, important at this juncture. If cassava leaves must be part of the livestock feeding strategy, it must be made available all year round.’’

    Lufadeju added that there was the  constraint of lack of technical knowledge on how to use cassava leaves in livestock feed. He said: “There is also the constraint of lack of knowledge and technical know how required particularly on; frequency of leaf harvest, quantity to be harvested without compromising root yields, the optimal period for harvesting, and the quantity to be fed to cattle , sheep or goat, either as supplement or as complete feed. While information is available in parts of the World especially Southeast Asia ( Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia), there is dearth of emperical research in Nigeria on feeding cassava foliage to ruminant livestock.”

    Meanwhile, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Ibadan has developed a technology to process fresh cassava peels into high-quality cassava peels with better shelf life and nutrient profiles.

    This is the outcome of a multi-centre Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research( CGIAR) collaboration, which involved ILRI, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Potato Centre (CIP).

    The cassava peel processing technology began in late 2014. Through it about 50 million tonnes of peels that are being wasted yearly and treated as environmental nuisance will become  livestock feed commodity. It can add about 15 million tonnes of quality feed, creating $2 billion yearly in Africa, and  helping the livestock sector besides other multiple benefits, such as creating employment and incomes for processors, mostly women in the unorganised sector.

    The main factors contributing to the rapid development of this technology are that the processes involved are quite simple, using machinery and techniques that cassava processors are already aware of, and wide dissemination through multiple media and visits of the potential entrepreneurs to the ILRI pilot processing plant at Ibadan.

  • Transforming rural lives through agriculture

    Young agro entrepreneurs in the rural areas are smiling to their banks. They are changing the age-long perception that agriculture is not a profitable venture. Their story is that of overcoming poverty, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    For the  Chief Executive, Springboard Entrepreneurship Development Initiative, Lawrence Afere, based in Akure,  Ondo State, the rural areas are precious and deserve to be cherished. They are characterised by diverse landscapes and climate. This also means an advantage to organic agriculture.

    His farm projects create awareness to farmers of new possibilities in practices and techniques that support profitable organic farming.

    Besides this, Afere’s innovative drive and constant experimentation with various crops have resulted  to a rich harvest. He is a farmer who  trained as a business administrator at the Covenant University. He also trained as a social entrepreneur at the Northwestern University, Chicago, International Institute for Global Leadership, Ashville, United States  (online) and from Kanthari International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs in India.

    The mission of Springboard is to create an entrepreneurial and productive community of youths from various backgrounds, who work together to enhance their livelihood and community through sustainable agriculture.

    At the Springboard farms in Akure, they grow plantain, banana and maize. They also produce  chips from plantain. In future, he plans to grow cocoa and all kinds of vegetable.

    For him, successful farmers, irrespective of their locations, require skills to build enterprises. From his experience, learning financial, marketing and other business basics is as helpful as the investment in their projects.

    In addition, the work of farmers  is beyond their products – farmers need to defend the landscape, the soil fertility and the biodiversity.

    For this reason, he has established a training school for those interested in building agricultural businesses. In his training school, young people are exposed to diversified farming programmes.

    Besides this, he has an absentee farmers programme for those who don’t live in Ondo State. His team operates the farms on behalf of investors, saving them the pains of travelling long distances.

    Also, Chief Executive, Niji Group, Mr Kolawole Adeniyi, is setting up a rural farm estate in Oyo State.

    According to him, the project will consist of diversified activities, including facilities for individuals, groups and other visitors. Apart from creating jobs, he said his motive was to encourage farmers to become involved in local development.

    The project will bring an increased level of awareness among the farmers of the need for sustainable development and diversification. It will provide an experimenting zone for creating employment and self-employment opportunities.

    The Provost, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State, Dr Samson Odedina, said there was  the need to provide opportunities for young rural people to develop entrepreneurial skills in agriculture.

    He said the college’s programme  provides young people with the training and support they need to establish businesses. He highlighted the need to give young people opportunities to build their capacities, providing them with skills and technical information to enable them take the lead in agric development initiatives.

    A farmland realtor in Ogbomosho area of Oyo State, Debo Thomas, is looking for young people with serious interest in farming.

    Thomas believes the government cannot afford to continue to underutilise the young people as they are presently. For him, enough education, financing and guidance is necessary for those in the rural areas that want to start a farming project that can lead to greater opportunities in the future.

    Experts say emerging young agro entrepreneurs represent a huge potential resource to their communities. They say many rural communities are ageing because, in the absence of incentives to remain, young women and men leave rural areas to seek opportunities elsewhere.

    They argue that when young people begin to see that smallholder farms can be transformed into dynamic, innovative, modern businesses, they will be encouraged to choose agriculture as a career path. Their skills and talents will thus be harnessed in generating a vibrant rural economy that offers employment opportunities both in agriculture and off the farm.

  • Micro irrigation transforming small farms

    Micro irrigation transforming small farms

    For subsistence farmers in rain-scarce areas of the country, micro irrigation can make the difference between hand-to-mouth survival and being able to grow an agro-allied business. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Farmers face the challenge of low yields nationwide. This is attributed largely to poor   access to water, which forces them to rely mostly on rain-fed crops. In the North, farmers grow rain-fed staple crops such as millet, but enjoy a rainy season lasting between three and  six months. Rainfall is highly variable, which makes the crops susceptible to climatic condition resulting in low returns.

    The experience is not restricted to the North, it is the same in the South-West. It is one of the challenges of the Chief Executive of X-Ray Farms Consulting, Afioluwa Mogaji, popularly known as African farmer, who has always dreamt of the day he will escape a laborious farming life.

    As a small holder farmer, water and labour shortages are Mogaji’s key challenges. Their absence result in hard toil. In the course of his business, Mogaji has met two kinds of farmers — those with access to irrigation and those without. The difference between the two  is clear.  Those with drip irrigation, or sprinklers invariably are reaping rich harvests and profits. But the vast majority of Nigerian farmers, fall into the second camp: they water their crops with water from wells or rivers.

    These farmers seem to live from crop cycle-to-crop cycle.  Their problem is water supply and the solution is irrigation. While the traditional irrigation control system is  available, it is costly and complex. Though such system covers hectares of farmlands, it costs millions and so too expensive for farmers such as  Mogaji. Besides, it is not economical for small farmers with few acres of farmland to purchase such systems.  The promotion of low-cost, small-scale irrigation equipment could be the solution.

    What won him over was a drip irrigation system designed for small farms like him.Apart from being three to four times cheaper than normal systems, low  cost system increases crop yield, quality and consistency, while using less water per unit of land — benefiting farmers, consumers and the planet.

    Also, the average purchase price is N100,000 or less. Mogaji, who bought some, said the advantage is that they are mobile and can be shifted from one field to the other. He said one system can work on one acre and move to the other after a few hours. He described them as shift able drip systems. They can last for as long as 12 years.

    For farmers, irrigation represents a major expenditure of labour and time; some may spend more than half-a-day hauling water to farms. Providing them with a lower cost solution with increased efficiency, helps to bring down the cost of production to thousands of families and get them out of poverty. African farmers explained that micro irrigation is the way to go because it is affordable for farmers.

    Mogaji said low-cost drip systems tailored to the needs of poor farmers have begun to spread. These include rain gun and bucket drip irrigation system. He added, however, that the system is limited to some extent. This is because it is best used on fields of one acre or less.

    Compared  to  the  high-tech systems  that  are  so complex, he  said the  micro system  are  easy to use, adding that the technology allows farmers to customise irrigation to different parts of a single field.

    He has experimented with micro irrigation equipment, which to his delight, cut by half, his effort and the quantum of water needed, while increasing the output from his farm.

    In some cases, micro irrigation systems have reduced the amount of water needed to cultivate an acre of  land by 50 per cent, and have been shown to improve yields by more than 40 per cent and offer input cost savings of about 30 per cent.

    They also allow for year-round farming, which means that farmers don’t have to uproot families and migrate to other places during the dry season. The overall result has reduced dependence on flood irrigation and increased the opportunity for farmers to earn more steady incomes.

    He has seen farmers whose fortunes have changed dramatically after installing drip-irrigation equipment as it helps them  irrigate their land with far less water, and reap substantial increases in yields.

    The Project Director, Cassava Adding to Africa (CAVA), Prof Kola Adebayo, told The Nation  that there is need for farmers to use irrigation water to supplement rainfall in agricultural production systems. This must be determined by soil type and other factors.

    His  concern  is  that   most small farmers who  constitute the  bulk  of  the  farming  production,  cannot grow crops throughout the year due to insufficient rainfall and are unable to afford existing irrigation systems which are either too expensive or   complicated to use.

    He said however, that there are efficient low-cost small-scale irrigation technologies designed for farmers with land holdings of a hectare or less.

    The technology, he explained, enables farmers to efficiently irrigate and grow crops and boost their farming income.  In water-short areas, he said farmers can take advantage of micro irrigation system to increase their irrigated land area instead of reducing groundwater withdrawals.

    For him, it is about yield and farmers are getting more crops per drop and at the same time applying less water to the field.

    Irrigation advocate, Chidiebere Igbokwe, said farmers in Kano, Enugu, Plateau, Niger, Lagos, Osun, Abia and Ogun are using drip irrigation.

    For example, he said there is an on-going a multi-hectare plantain plantation project in  Enugu State that will use drip irrigation.  Also in Jos, more small scale farmers are giving drip irrigation a trial.

    On why many farmers are not using the drip irrigation kits on their farms despite its potential to increase output, Igbokwe said people tend to use what they know about.

    His words: “In the absence of awareness of its existence or lack of knowledge about the ease of affordability, how can farmers put them to use? Some farmers do not know that there are smaller drip irrigation kits that they can apply to their small farms of say 100 square meters  to even a hectare. Another reason is that some farmers cannot afford to pay as much as N50,000 at once to purchase a small kit without subsidy. Even in the government agricultural transformation agenda (ATA), you cannot see the display or mention of drip irrigation kits being introduced to farmers. Their concern is on large dam irrigation as if the programme was only for the briefcase farmers.”

    He stressed that drip irrigation is very affordable. His words:  “They are priced according to their specifications and area of coverage. You can get a kit as low as N25,000 and as high as N2 million. They come in sizes ranging from 30, 100,150,250,500,1000,2500 square meters to one hectare. For example a hectare drip irrigation solution for a plantain plantation can cost as low as N1.2 Million.” On whether it  adds to the cost of production or making farming profitable, Igbokwe said the initial investment in drip irrigation could be recouped at the 1st season or as the venture goes on.

    “Most drip kits which come as a complete package in a box excluding water storage tank  last more than 10 years and needs little or no maintenance if the standard operating instruction by the manufacturers is followed. For example, a kit of N55-60,000 will cover a farm with 1500 stands of pepper plants which can yield 180,000 fruits @ 12 fruits per stand and at a net sales of N360,000.

    With this picture you can see that it is very profitable to invest in drip irrigation kits. Do not forget that farming is not a magic money machine rather it’s an investment that must be followed till it starts yielding profit.”

    If the government subside drip irrigation, he said farmers having small land holdings in rain-fed areas can raise crops and earn decent incomes.

    For watchers, Nigeria is a fast-growing drip-irrigation market. There are concerns, however, that the pace of rapid agricultural growth could be undermined by plummeting levels of its water tables. Some farmers have abandoned their farm activities owing to shortage of labour and irrigation water.

    With introduction of micro irrigation, a lot of farmers may revive farm activities and adopt modern agriculture practices to boost production.

    Micro irrigation not only supply required quantum of water to crops but also prevent growth of weeds, and reduce labour in farm work.

    Very limited labour force would be sufficient to man the farm till harvesting.

    Experts are worried that Nigeria is wrestling with double-digit food price inflation, fuelled by a combination of higher input costs – including rising labour costs – and growing demand for higher-value food items by an increasingly affluent population. However, drip irrigation is a proven solution to both of these challenges.