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FG inaugurates $1bn National Agric Mechanisation Committee

Published

5 years ago

January 24, 2020

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, on Friday in Abuja inaugurated an 18-member committee for implementation of Federal Government’s Agriculture mechanisation programme called The Green Imperative Programme (GIP).

The programme, which is estimated at $1.1 billion, is to be funded by the Brazilian Government through a loan from the Deutsche Bank (DB), Development Bank of Brazil and Islamic Development Bank.

The loan is expected to be repaid at three per cent interest rate over a period of 15 years for Development Bank of Brazil and seven years including two years moratorium for the DB.

The programme is expected to benefit 100,000 young people directly and five million indirectly.

This is designed to enable Nigeria acquire 10,000 units of tractors and 50,000 units of assorted implement and equipment for assembly in Nigeria.

It is also meant to ensure training of project beneficiaries for over 10 years and establishment of 780 service centres to assist small holder farmers prepare the soil, cultivate and harvest farm produce.

GIP is further designed to enhance agricultural mechanization specialized extension services and agro-processing in the 774 local government areas and the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Nanono, who is the Chairman of the committee, said the programme was timely in view of the need to feed the Nigerian population estimated at 200 million as well as other African countries that rely on Nigeria.

“The programme would be private sector driven, government would only create the enabling environment and offer assistance where necessary,’’ the minister said.

He advised small agro allied companies and agricultural cooperative societies to take advantage of the opportunity created by government to be part of the agricultural revolution by investing in it.

According to Nanono, Nigeria feeding itself and others is an enormous task that GIP is meant to address, saying, “of estimated 65 per cent arable land in Africa, Nigeria accounts for over 30 per cent’’.

He, however, lamented that in spite of large land mass, running into over 84 million hectares, only 34 million hectares were being cultivated, saying “it is not hectare coverage but yield per hectare that is the challenge.’’

“Findings reveal that we have only 7000 functional tractors in this country. We have only seven tractors by 100 square kilometres.

“Compare that with Kenya that has 27 tractors by 100 square kilometres. The standard is 127 per square kilometres. So you can imagine the task before us.

“All these noise about this project we are launching today is aimed at only 10,000 tractors.

“ So to even catch up with Kenya, we need to have 60,000 tractors, you can imagine the task before us,’’ he said.

Nanono expressed optimism that the programme, which would have service centres in 632 local government areas and 140 processing centres, would achieve its mandate in view of the dire need to boost production in the country.

“Agricultural mechanization must be a top priority in Nigeria, whether government or private sector, because without mechanization, there is no way we can feed about 200 million people and get surplus for agro allied industries.

“I think this is going to be one of the most important agricultural projects ever embarked upon by governments in Nigeria.

“It is revolutionary and will engage many people. Government is committed to the success of the project, which discussion has been on for the past five years,’’ he said.

The minister charged all stakeholders to play their parts effectively for the success of the programme.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Abdulkadir Muazu, commended the initiative.

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RMRDC: Making Giant Strides Under Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso

Published

6 hours ago

September 19, 2024

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

As we embark on a journey, we always pray for an able, experienced, and courageous driver, pilot, or sailor depending on the means of transportation.

This is because the captain will have enough experience and boldness to navigate out of turbulence and to bring all the passengers and crew to the intended destination.

Interestingly, these fine qualities of ability, experience, boldness, and many more, abound in the man, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso, who we all are pleased was appointed the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, RMRDC, the Director General/CEO by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a few months ago. This is because he has brought his knowledge, ability, experience, and doggedness to bear in carrying out his assignment in charge of the Council.

The RMRDC, operating under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, is pivotal in driving Nigeria’s industrial growth by optimizing local raw materials exploitation, development, and utilization. RMRDC, ab initio, was conceived as a child of necessity when Nigeria was reeling from the throes of global recession and plummeting crude oil prices.

Without an iota of doubt, today, the council is experiencing a transformation with massive innovation in raw material exploitation, development, and utilization, supporting business and industrial growth, and contributing to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, in Abuja to commemorate his 100 days in office, he said the council is laying a solid foundation through numerous innovations that will further enhance growth in the country.

According to him, “In the past 100 days, my strategic pursuits have been to lay solid foundations for enduring success in these goals.

“Upon assuming this position, I set five crucial deliverables which include, refocusing the Council as a premier research institution; Strengthening the Council’s productivity and operational efficiency; and Significantly improving the staff welfare to be the best in the class of similar organizations.

“Others include, Boosting the Council’s visibility and instituting remarkable culture change that encourages ownership and productivity as well as Strengthening and deepening the Council’s place in the international arena.”While speaking on his Achievements so far, the DG revealed further: “My first task, therefore, was to implement a strategic goal-setting for the Council’s staff to define and set out clear objectives and targets to be achieved by the Council within a specified period towards refocusing on this historical mandate. We unleashed five significant initiatives in that regard.

“The nationwide raw material data collection exercise that focused on technical and investment information to drive our mission forward.

“The restructuring and renaming of the former Technology Innovation Complex (TIC), at the Obasanjo Space Center at Airport Road, Abuja, to a Research and Demonstration Plants Complex (RDPC). This complex will be Africa’s first center of excellence in raw material research, featuring state-of-the-art laboratories, technology development workshops, and proof of concept demonstrations.

“We have reactivated the Council’s Journal and repositioned it internationally. The repositioned Journal of Raw Material Research (JORMAR) will host RMRDC’s researchers’ publications, which are crucial in promoting awareness, facilitating knowledge sharing, and informing stakeholders about the opportunities and challenges in Nigeria’s raw materials sector. “The collaboration with universities and academies will strengthen our capacity for conducting market-guided research, ensuring sustained workforce training while deepening our orientation in science.

“The council has reformulated a new template for all our research proposals to ensure and sustain a clear departure from the old culture of blue-sky and deliberately endless research.”Speaking further, Prof Nwanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso stated that Staff welfare remains a top priority as an issue of unpaid salaries is settled as well as set up a comprehensive welfare program. “Similarly, we established the RMRDC Training School to sustainably build our staff and stakeholders’ capacity to further the staff welfare improvement goal.

“We are committed to openness, inclusiveness, and performance management and have initiated steps to continuously improve staff ownership, orchestrate transformative culture change, boost our corporate visibility, and enhance.

“To further strengthen our visibility and communication strategies, we are upgrading our media infrastructure, which includes the launch of the RMRDC online media platform, The RMRDC TV Online.

“Additionally, we are working hard to effectively enhance the intellectual property and patent portfolio of RMRDC from its current 40 to approximately 200 new patents within the next 24 months. This proactive approach secures valuable IP assets and positions the Council as a leader in innovation within the raw materials sector, contributing to Nigeria’s overall economic growth.“As well as launching an e-registration and certification portal to enhance transparency in the raw materials sector,” DG revealed.

He however reaffirmed his commitment to reshape the future of research, technology, and innovation, driving Nigeria towards an industrially vibrant and technologically resilient economy.

“As I mark 100 days in office, I boldly say that the Council is on the verge of rewriting its history.

“I believe that in no distant future, RMRDC will play a leading role in enhancing raw materials’ development to boost raw materials’ industrial trial processing and attain sustainable industrial growth in Nigeria.

The DG, however, applauded the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, for his unwavering support and mentorship, saying the Minister’s leadership has been instrumental in the progress made so far.

In his opening remarks, the Directorate of Corporate Affairs, Mr Chucks Ngaha commended the hard-working DG who has weathered the storm further to put the Council on the ladder of more prosperity.

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