The Growth & Employment in States (GEMS4) project in Nigeria has showcased the numerous investment opportunities which the execution of the project has opened up in the rice and tomato sub-sectors of the nation’s economy.
Apart from the hundreds of thousands of new jobs which the execution of the project is facilitating for the country, the managers of the project also showcased copies of prepared documents of the Mapping of Clusters of Rice and Tomato generated under the programme.
The showcasing of the achievements recorded under the project which started five (5) years through a funding provided by United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID/UKaid) and the World Bank, was concluded in three northern states of Jigawa, Kano, and Kaduna, respectively, recently.
The Kano edition of the event which took place precisely last Tuesday, was presided over by Mohammed I. Daneji, managing director, Kano State Agricultural And Rural Development Authority (KNARDA), has in attendance stakeholders drawn across various sectors, particularly, rice and tomato farmers that were direct beneficiaries of the project.
In his lead address at the event entitled ‘GEMS4 Dissemination Workshop’, Gerry McCarthy, team leader of project, disclosed that the event was put together to highlight the various opportunities created under the scheme to aid Nigerian agricultural development.
“Over the past five years, the Growth and Employment in States (GEMS4) programme has worked to create jobs and increase income for the poor through the inclusion of small and micro enterprises into better functioning market systems in key sectors.
“By influencing the market structures, relationship and incentives and by building the capacity of poor actors, the project has been able to facilitate economic growth and achieve impact at scale. We now wish to engage with key stakeholder groups to ensure that the achievements can be replicated and developed beyond the life of GEMS4”, McCarthy stated.
Earlier in his introductory address, Olatunde Oderinde, deputy team leader, said that the event was put together in preparation for the foreclosure of the project in the country which comes up in December.
“Our work streams are: feed finishing; skin quality; micro-retaining; rice; tomato; waste management. Cross-cutting work areas are: access to finance; technology and women economic empowerment.
“With the project coming to an end in December, 2017, GEMS4 is carrying out the dissemination of its key interventions and consultations with key stakeholder groups on how the replication and development can be advanced post-project.
“The one day dissemination event was organised with the aim of making key presentations on our micro-retaining, rice and tomato interventions, and to generate practical steps to be taken to replicate and develop achievements recorded,” Oderinde added.
A detailed presentation on the activities carried out under the project in the focal areas of rice, and tomato were made by Richard B. Ogundele, Intervention manager.
Ogundele highlighted that the some of the implications of the cluster mapping of the two crops are: first and foremost existing processing companies can now ascertain the location of the cluster number and anticipated yields of the commodities.
He also said that the data generated as a result of the mapping will guide government on requirement for feeder roads around the clusters which will enhance the operations of extension workers to farmers, adding that it also has the potential of enhancing tax revenue.
In the same vein, he pointed out that the identified cluster areas will help boost employment in the rural areas, while it will also go a long way in stimulating financial intermediation which includes, income from net interest margin, in addition to enhancing business for agricultural insurance.
With the data, according to him, interested investors are now better placed to make informed decisions about the potential locations for new processing facilities, just as the international donors interested in implementing value chain intervention will benefit from the available data.
One of the major activities performed during the event was the break out in working sessions in which the three groups that emerged developed a working plan, each in the area of rice, tomato, and co-operative activities.
Adeola Ajakaiye, Kano
