COLEACP support in Nigeria : first actions with good prospects The challenges faced by the horticultural industry in Nigeria can be turned into an opportunity to promote a new agricultural model combining innovation, new technologies and sustainable agricultural practices. There is also an opportunity to empower Nigerian small-scale farmers so that they are recognised as competitive suppliers in sustainable value chains at local, regional and international levels. By up-scaling and disseminating the progress made in the export sector to also benefit production for local and regional markets, horticultural exports can be a driving force in modernising food production in Nigeria, and thereby contribute to improving food security and nutrition, food import substitution, poverty alleviation, and economic diversification. Following discussions between Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr Akinwumi Adesina and COLEACP, support activities to the Nigerian horticultural industry have begun through building the capacity of exporting companies and local consultants. Beginning in January 2014, a Nigerian SME exporting ugu (fresh pumpkin leaves) to the UK market has benefited from COLEACP support to improve its food safety management system. As a first step, Angella Musila, a Kenyan consultant trained by COLEACP, conducted a needs assessment so that investments required in terms of human resources (training), infrastructure and equipment could be defined. Disseminating and transferring competences locally lie at the heart of COLEACP’s methodology when intervening throughout the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States. South–South cascading approaches are now replacing EU–ACP knowledge flows: in this case, Mr Seun Kushimo and Miss Yinka Adesola, two young Nigerian consultants, were trained by the Kenyan expert during the needs assessment. The COLEACP E-learning platform enabled the trainees to reinforce their theoretical competences before the field exercise. During the mission, the trainees performed the needs assessment simultaneously with that of the Kenyan senior expert, and were involved in discussions and recommendations presented to the company’s management. Finally, a debriefing session was performed by the senior expert in order to compare reports drafted by the trainees and suggest areas for improvement. The company is now in a better position to make informed decisions about future investments to support its growth, while Mr Seun Kushimo and Miss Yinka Adesola will be able to conduct similar missions for fellow Nigerian companies in the near future. “Thanks for the opportunity you gave to our Seun Kushimo to attend this training. He had an extremely exciting and rewarding experience and is very excited about all the things SENCE Agric can achieve just from this exposure. We plan to publicise the training and lessons learnt by Seun to sensitise other horticulture farmers to the availability of the programme in Nigeria, and the benefits.” Mrs Ogo Ibok, SENCE Agric Director COLEACP aims to enable both public services and the private sector in Nigeria to benefit from its 40 years’ experience by transferring the expertise and tools developed for improving ACP horticulture on a broad scale. This intervention will contribute to the Agricultural Transformation Agenda initiated by HM Dr Akinwumi Adesina.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 17:52:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015