Solidaridad West Africa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).
The collaboration aims to improve productivity in Nigeria’s agricultural sector and contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Under the Memorandum, Solidaridad will provide technical support to FMARD in the development of the oil palm sector.
This will align with Solidaridad’s aim to support Nigeria’s capacity-building efforts to regain her leading role in the global production of the commodity.
Solidaridad expects the collaboration to engender Nigeria’s self-sufficiency in agriculture and divestment of the economy from dependency on crude oil.
“The MoU is a welcome development,” said Dr Samuel S. Ogallah, Solidaridad Senior Climate Specialist, Africa and Country Technical Lead in Nigeria.
“The MOU will propel the efforts of Solidaridad West Africa and FMARD towards the achievement of food sufficiency and exports for the country”
Ogallah
He expressed optimism that the collaboration between the two parties will contribute significantly to the agricultural development of Nigeria.
A statement from Solidaridad made available to Akatarian, noted that Nigeria will benefit from Solidaridad’s expertise.
It also noted that Solidaridad has immense expertise in agriculture, guided by over 50 years of experience, working across various supply chains.
The organization’s footprints in Nigeria spans more than a decade and have largely been on improving oil palm, cocoa, horticulture, he said.
Solidaridad is currently implementing the National Initiatives for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPS) in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, and Kogi states.
Its partner, IDH, is implementing NISCOPS in Edo and Ondo states.
Solidaridad also implements the horticultural program- the Sustainable Development Goal Project 1 (SDGP1), dubbed “Transforming Nigeria’s Vegetable Markets.”
This program is being implemented in Kano and Kaduna states. The two programs are funded by the Netherlands’ government.
