Yemisi Izuora
Nigeria and Liberia are started a new cooperation in the area of agriculture development.
Under the new frame work, Nigeria would export skill in the area of agriculture equipment production to Liberia to help the country realise its Agriculture Transformation Programme.
Both countries have therefore endorsed a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, that will also facilitate Liberia’s desire to improve on its Cassava production.
A delegation from that country, led by Mrs. Oluwatosin Adetunji, a consultant with the African Development Bank, AfDB, visited the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, FIIRO, to understudy the Institutes stride in agro-equipment construction as well as learn its Cassava flour processing.
Adetunji in her remarks said Nigeria has made land mark progress in creating value in the Cassava production chain.
She said FIIRO had been in the vanguard of exploring options that will transform the Cassava value chain and currently have produced 25 products from it.
Speaking on the visit, assistant minister for planning and development, ministry of agriculture, of Republic of Liberia, Patrick Tarnue Worzie, the MOU, is expected to facilitate and strengthen relationship of both countries.
Worzie said that the document will authenticate the agreement in the area of capacity building and knowledge sharing by both countries.
He added that with the MOU, the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme, CAADP, would be boosted, a programme designed to scale up food production in the continent.
“We want to learn the best practice in the agriculture sector especially in the Cassava value chain.
In our frame work we have the Liberia Agriculture Transformation Agenda, and Cassava growing and processing is key component of the programme.
In the last six months we have engaged the AfDB to help us strengthen our agriculture sector and what Nigeria has achieved in these areas when we take it home will help shape our efforts.
The Director General, DG of FIIRO, Prof. Gloria Elemo who endorsed the MOU on behalf of Nigeria, said the Institute has transformed Cassava from being a poor mans food into becoming a ‘Green Gold’.
Elemo said FIIRO, has also developed technology that is helping the country to realise its agriculture transformation target and is willing to release the knowledge to Liberia.