General
AfDB Invests $24b in Agric to Save One Billion from Hunger

By Dipo Olowookere
Global partners have been called upon by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to join hands to lift one billion people worldwide out of hunger.
The continental lender said it was leading the way by investing $24 billion in African agriculture over the next 10 years in the largest such effort ever.
“We are not winning the war against global hunger,” Bank President Akinwumi Adesina told an agriculture conference at Purdue University in Indianapolis on Tuesday, 25 September.
“We must not get carried away,” he added, referring to statistics showing a decline in the global population living on less than two dollars per day. In reality, the number of hungry people in the world had increased from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016, he said citing the latest World Food Security and Nutrition data.
Mr Adesina told the audience that included researchers, implementing organizations, business leaders, policymakers and donors that simple technical and scientific methods were already making a whole difference to farm yields and income in Africa. While such technologies to deliver Africa’s green revolution exist, they are mostly just sitting on the shelves, he said.
“The release of water efficient maize varieties now allows farmers to harvest good yields in the face of moderate drought,” he noted. “Today, rice varieties exist that can give yields of 8 tonnes per ha. Cassava varieties exist with yields of up to 80 tonnes per ha. Heat tolerant and disease resistant livestock and technologies for ramping up aquaculture exist.”
Bank experts put current comparative yields at 1.5-2 tonnes per ha for rice and 10-15 tonnes per ha for cassava.
What was needed urgently was deployment of supportive policies to ensure technologies are cascaded down to millions of farmers. “All Africa needs to do is to harness the available technologies with the right policies and rapidly raise agricultural productivity and incomes for farmers and assure lower food prices for consumers.”
The Bank has launched its Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), a $1 billion initiative to extend the use of farm technologies. TAAT is currently engaging seed companies, public and private entities, and financial institutions in 27 countries to make technology available to a total of 40 million African farmers.
Combining targeted subsidies for farmers with a market-based system for rapidly expanding access to financing for farmers and agricultural value chains is the fastest way to get many people out of poverty to a sustained pathway for economic growth, Mr Adesina added.
The conference on “Scaling Up Agricultural Technologies for Transformation” marked Mr Adesina’s fond return to his alma mater.
“It was here, as a graduate student, that I began the journey of searching for ways to get technologies into the hands of millions of farmers,” he said. Mr Adesina was to go on to make a huge impact on the transformation of agriculture in Africa, including implementing game-changing policies in his years as Nigeria’s Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development before taking up his post at the Bank in September 2015.
Mr Adesina said the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa needed particularly urgent intervention due to the ravages of climate change. The International Food Policy Research Institute estimates that Africa will add 38 million to its number of hungry people by 2050 as a result of climate change. The Institute forecasts that Africa will experience major food shortages by 2020 and beyond, while malnutrition will be on the rise over the next 20 years.
The Bank’s ongoing initiatives had the objectives of growing income for farmers, stabilizing prices for staple crops, reducing losses and stimulating multiplier effects in local economies. With its Staple Crop Processing Zones and other initiatives, the Bank is demonstrating how this can be done.
“The African Development Bank put feeding Africa as one of its topmost priorities when it launched its Feed Africa strategy in 2015 and is investing $ 24 billion in agriculture for Africa over 10 years – the largest ever such effort,” the Bank President said. Across Africa, the Feed Africa Strategy is supporting the development of policies, markets, infrastructure and institutions that will ensure that agricultural value chains are well developed and that technologies reach several millions of farmers.
Mr Adesina called for global partnerships to establish Staple Crop Processing Zones across Africa.
“The SCPZs will provide several advantages for rural economies. They will create markets for farm produce. Raw materials will no longer be moved out of rural areas, but as finished value-added products. Post-harvest losses will be substantially reduced. Well integrated agricultural value chains will develop, with supportive logistics, especially warehousing and cold chains,” Mr Adesina added.
The African Development Bank has already started investments to develop these SCPZs in a number of pioneering African countries, including Ethiopia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique. It expects the processing zones to be active in about 15 countries in the near-term.
General
Maritime Lawyers Seek Import Waivers Ahead CVFF Disbursement

By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) has called for the removal of import duties on cabotage vessels to promote the growth of the indigenous shipping fleet ahead of the planned disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) next month.
Speaking at the 2025 NMLA Seminar held in Lagos last week, Mr Boniface Igwe, former Director of Cabotage at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), argued that waiving import duties on such vessels would significantly lower procurement and operational costs.
He also said eliminating these duties would give local shipowners a competitive advantage over foreign operators engaged in Nigeria’s coastal trade.
“It is high time NIMASA began engaging with the Nigeria Customs Service to consider waiving certain duties in support of Cabotage implementation,” Mr Igwe stated, noting that effective and well-monitored Cabotage enforcement could boost Nigeria’s cargo tonnage, enhancing the country’s chances of securing a seat in Category ‘C’ of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council.
Similarly, Mr Fubara Anga, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), stressed the need for the NMLA to present a national strategy document to the government outlining a framework for the disbursement and implementation of the Cabotage Fund.
According to him, this would ensure the fund achieves its intended goals.
Mr Anga added that building local capacity would not only strengthen the domestic shipping sector but also increase government revenue.
In his remarks, former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr Hassan Bello, described a well-structured Cabotage regime as a potential game changer for the local shipping industry.
He expressed optimism that, if properly managed, the CVFF disbursement could enable Nigerian shipowners to compete effectively with their foreign counterparts.
Recall that NIMASA has announced plans to commence the disbursement of the $700 million CVFF in August.
The CVFF, established under the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act of 2003, was designed to empower Nigerian shipping companies through access to structured financing for vessel acquisition. However, successive administrations failed to operationalize the fund—until now.
General
BPP, NASENI Sign MoU on Speedy Implementation of Nigeria First Policy

By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of the Nigeria First Policy.
Speaking at the signing in Abuja on Monday, the Director-General of BPP, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, said the partnership would promote local manufacturing, technology, innovation and economic growth in Nigeria, noting that the Nigeria First Policy promotes the use of local content and indigenous solutions to address national challenges.
Mr Adedokun said the deal aimed to create a structured bridge between production and procurement, prioritising locally made solutions in public service delivery, which would promote value for money in public procurement.
“Today, we are not just signing an agreement. We are building a pipeline from Nigerian innovation to national transformation.
“The MoU we sign today aims to align our policies with our priorities. It gives practical force to the Nigeria First Policy.
“NASENI’s innovations, from tractors to tablets, from surveillance drones to solar backup systems, will now be actively prioritised in the procurement plans of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“We are institutionalising a framework that makes local options not just preferable, but the default option before all others.”
He emphasised that the partnership was not an act of protectionism but an act of patriotism grounded in performance, as NASENI had invested in quality assurance with its products certified by Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC.
The DG said the role of BPP was to ensure that standards were rewarded with access and that MDAs no longer needed to look outside when the best was being made in Nigeria.
He said the bureau was backing its commitment with NASENI with reform actions.
Mr Adedokun said the BPP would integrate NASENI’s catalogue into the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), making NASENI’s offerings visible, verifiable, and measurable across all MDAs.
“Between January and June 2025 alone, NOCOPO’s enhanced price intelligence helped Nigeria save over N173 billion equivalent to $155 million and €1.7 million.
“These are not just savings on paper. They are savings that free up resources for more schools, hospitals, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.”
He added that the BPP and NASENI had set up a Technical Working Committee to synchronise production timelines with procurement cycles, which would track outcomes, identify bottlenecks, and ensure continuous improvement.
Adedokun commended NASENI for its efforts in putting Nigerian-made innovation on the map while calling on other MDAs to prioritise their products.
“I call on other sectors beyond NASENI to also come up with their own strategy for implementing Nigeria First. NASENI has led. I expect others to follow.
“To citizens, I invite you to track these procurements on NOCOPO. Your vigilance ensures our accountability.
“We have to really realise that today’s event is such that it can change our local industries, the small and medium-scale enterprises. It can change how women and youths are viewed in terms of industrialisation.”
On his part, Mr Khalil Halilu, Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of NASENI, said the MoU was expected to attract more investments into the country and promote local manufacturing.
He said the agreement would provide priority patronage to companies that partner with NASENI.
“The MoU further strengthens our efforts, pushing the Nigerian First Policy, and we look forward to assembling more locally made items as well as promoting more industrialisation in the country.”
He noted that NASENI had received no fewer than 900 applications from companies to partner with them in the past one and a half years, because of its rebranding and new partnerships.
“This has resulted in the development of no fewer than 50 market-ready products, and we have a showroom on the Kubwa Expressway which will be showcased at our unveiling event soon.”
Mr Halilu also emphasised the importance of protecting local industries and promoting local manufacturing to prevent Nigeria from becoming a dumping ground for imported goods.
He said the agency was working on building the biggest renewable park in the region in Keffi, and had taken a portion of Abuja Industrial Park, and Abuja Technology Village to build electronics and electronic vehicles, adding that the agency had successfully attracted technology transfer and investment into the country.
He added that the agency’s policies were gender-friendly and inclusive, with women and youth forming part of its workforce.
General
Voting to Pick 2025 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Nigeria Begins

By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The race for the 2025 Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Nigeria (TOYP) programme has commenced with the opening of voting at 6.30 pm WAT on Monday, July 28, 2025.
A statement from the organisers disclosed that voting is expected to close at 11.59 pm WAT on August 6, 2025, with the unveiling of the nominees slated for Saturday, August 16, 2025, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, in commemoration of the United Nations International Youth Day.
The top 10 persons will be chosen from the 30 nominees shortlisted by KPMG Nigeria, the official audit partner for the 2025 JCI TOYP Program, from the top 50 nominees earlier evaluated by an independent panel of judges between March and April 2025.
These nominees had been selected by the jury from a total of 638 entries received nationwide during the nomination period, which ran between January and February 2025.
This programme is hosted annually by JCI Nigeria to celebrate young people (between the ages of 18 and 40) who have demonstrated remarkable leadership and significant contributions in their respective fields and communities.
For this year’s edition, its 41st, the top 10 will be at the 2025 JCI World Congress scheduled for Tunis in November.
Seven notable Nigerians have been honoured at the global stage – namely Ray Ekpu (1988), Dr. Modupe Osho (1996), Dr. Ola Orekunrin (2013), Imrana Buba (2017), Adepeju Opeyemi Jaiyeoba (2017), Jacinta Uramah (2018), and Temie Giwa-Tubosun (2021) –
The chairperson of the 2025 JCI TOYP Committee, Ms Yetunde Oyeyipo, encouraged members of the public to participate as the public voting phase plays a critical role in determining the final honourees because 40 per cent will be allocated to them and 60 per cent to the judges.
Speaking on the significance of this programme, the 2025 President of JCI Nigeria, Ms Oluwatoyin Atanda, said, “These exceptional individuals are pioneering change, pushing boundaries, and championing innovation across various sectors in Nigeria. They truly embody leadership, service, and commitment to national development. This year’s Nominees are not just dreamers, they are doers making tangible impact.”
The 2025 Top 30 Nominees are: Aramide Kayode, Motunrayo Sanyaolu, Chuks Ekwueme, Ifedayo Durosimi-Etti, Phoebe Dami-Asolo, Tosin Olaseinde, Prada Uzodinma, Aisha Abdullahi Adamu, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, Morenike Olusanya, Emmanuel Oyeleke, Tolani Ali, Tobilola Ajayi, David Obianyor, Emokiniovo Dave-Akpedeye and Praise Akobo. Others are Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, Bukola Bolarinwa, Jumoke Dada, Toyeeb Ajayi, Adaeze Akpagbula, David Onilude, Elizabeth Oshoba, Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, Oyinkansola Fawehinmi, Joseph Onele, Tomilola Majekodunmi, Oluwatobi Ajayi, Chinwe Okoli and Fisayo Fosudo.
These 30 nominees are in 10 categories, namely: Academic Leadership and/or Accomplishment; Business, Economic and/or Entrepreneurship Accomplishment; Contribution to Children, World Peace and/or Human Rights; Cultural Achievements; Humanitarian and/or Voluntary Leadership; Medical Innovation; Moral and/or Environmental Leadership; Personal Improvement and/or Accomplishment; Political, Legal and/or Government Affairs; and Scientific and/or Technological Development. Hence, 1 Nominee will emerge as the most outstanding person in each of these categories.
-
Feature/OPED5 years ago
Davos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years ago
Estranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking7 years ago
Sort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy2 years ago
Subsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking2 years ago
First Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports2 years ago
Highest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn
-
Technology5 years ago
How To Link Your MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile Lines to NIN