FIRMS DEPLOY TECH TO BOOST NIGERIA’S FOOD SECTOR

Agricultural technology company A4S and investment and project-development group Natari are expanding their activities in Nigeria as they seek to combine technology, financing and agricultural development to improve productivity across the food value chain.

The companies are working with Providus Bank on an initiative designed to connect agricultural technology with financing, productive assets, processing and markets, while also aligning with the Federal Government’s economic and financial inclusion agenda through the SheIncluded programme.

The partnership was unveiled in Lagos following the relaunch of A4S’s 4Tree agricultural technology product in Nigeria through the SheIncluded programme.

A4S said it plans to expand the deployment of the technology through demonstration farms, farmer engagement, training and crop-specific trials.

The company said the initiative would assess indicators including productivity, production costs, crop quality and farmers’ income.

Managing Director and Chief Executive of Global Infoswift, Afolabi Oke, a strategic partner to the companies in Nigeria, said A4S had been engaging farmers and was seeking to take the technology to a wider market.

He said the company planned to deepen its engagement with farmers and state governments while expanding awareness and adoption of the technology.

The companies have also linked the initiative to SheIncluded, which focuses on women’s economic empowerment, entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.

Natari is also pursuing agricultural production and processing projects in Nigeria as part of its broader development activities.

Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion and Executive Secretary of the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Nurudeen Zauro, said initiatives of this nature should ultimately be assessed based on measurable economic impact.

The immediate focus will be on determining whether the technology can deliver sustainable results under Nigerian farming conditions and whether improved productivity translates into higher returns for farmers after the cost of adoption is considered.

The companies said the broader objective was to connect agricultural production with technology, finance and processing to strengthen Nigeria’s food sector and improve opportunities for farmers.