The Nigerian
Entrepreneurship Forum, NEF in
partnership with Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria
(FACAN), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to access the five billion dollars
made available by the Chinese government through its Entrepreneurship
Development Centre Facility under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for
entrepreneurs in the country to ensure standard for export.
This was
disclosed by the President, NEF, Sidney Inegbedion during the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja.
Inegbedion
said both organisations are already working with the Chinese government through
the CBN to make the grant available for access, adding that the signing of the
MoU, is important to both NEF and FACAN because it would give the country the
opportunity to be able to expand the horizon of the indigenous farmers through
capacity building towards standard for global market.
He explained
that to attain this, training, funding, creation of market access, locally and
internationally and also the deployment of mechanised equipment and modern
infrastructure to the development of agriculture are all required.
The NEF boss
stressed that with FACAN playing a major role in the agriculture sector having
over 49 association groups representing strategic sector of the agriculture
value chain, like sesame seeds, shea butter, cassava etc, will through the
memorandum ensure that quality and standard is ensure as the Nigerian agri
produce is expected to be exported to the Chinese and the European market.
The
President of Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria
(FACAN) Dr. Victor Iyama said that it was time for the both parties to extend
their relationship as to ensure that the sector is reposition.
‘We have collectively decided as a nation that
reliance on monoculture or the crude oil will not do us any good in the light
of the global change. Agriculture remains constant. The coming together of
Nigerian Entrepreneur Forum and FACAN is to address these issues,” he
explained.
He noted
that only agriculture can take the nation off the poverty line, as the sector
can generate not less than N100 billion monthly and that the nation can feed
Africa if agriculture is given the attention it needed.
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