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  • 12,000 Rice Farmers to Benefit from WOFAN, Mastercard Foundation’s RiceAdvice App in Abuja, Kaduna

    12,000 Rice Farmers to Benefit from WOFAN, Mastercard Foundation’s RiceAdvice App in Abuja, Kaduna

     

    No fewer than 12,000 rice farmers in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kaduna are to benefit from an innovative application – Rice Advice App which has been introduced to 200 extension workers in Abuja and Kaduna.

     

    The Rice Advice App is the initiative of the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN), a non-profit organization focused on women farmers in the country in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.

     

    Speaking in Abuja on recently, at a training on the Rice Advice app, the President of WOFAN, Hajia Salamatu Garba stated that the extension workers have been trained on the use of the App to advise farmers to enhance their performance and annual yield.

     

    “With this app, they can measure the exact sizes of the farm and advise the farmers on the correct fertilizer application. The app is also useful for predictive analysis because it will be able to proffer information such as expected yields from farms and how farmers can leverage this to maximize profits,” Garba explained.

     

    Also speaking at the event, the Program Lead, Agriculture for Mastercard Foundation in Nigeria, Lois Sankey said the training is aimed at building the savvy of the extension workers on the integration of technology and agriculture which is a testament to the Young Africa Works (YAW) strategy of The Foundation.

     

     “Since the extension workers provide services to the farmers, it is important that their capacity to train the farmers in understanding the principles under the Rice Advice is consistently built. This is particularly important as we go into the dry season farming, so constant training is necessary to increase the extension workers’ capacity” Sankey said.

     

    The WOFAN President noted that the extension workers were part of a total of 200 that are working with WOFAN in the four Northern states of Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa and FCT adding that they were the third batch to be trained.

     

    “We are working in the four states with the Mastercard Foundation. This project encompasses 45,000 farmers who will go back to their various farmers better equipped and more knowledgeable on twenty-first-century strategies of farming. Through this project, we are anticipating a new generation of farmers who will leverage technology to achieve great things”, she noted.

      

  • MTN Begins NIN Enrollment In Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt

    MTN Begins NIN Enrollment In Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt

    MTN Nigeria said it has commenced enrollment for National Identification Number, NIN.

     

    MTN’s Senior Manager, External Relations, Funso Aina, said that the telco had secured Nigerian Identity Management Commission licence for NIN enrollment and had begun enrollment at some of its centres in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

     

    He noted that MTN had invested in acquiring devices aligned with NIMC standard.

     

    He also assured that the number of locations would increase with time.

     

    Aina said, “We have commenced enrollment for NIN at a limited number of locations.

     

    “This number will rise as certification and other dependencies on the Nigerian Identity Management Commission for roll-out of such locations are addressed.

     

    “We have applied for and secured NIMC licence for enrollment. Additionally, we have invested in acquiring devices aligned with NIMC standard.”

     

    “We continue to work with NIMC, NCC and other stakeholders towards resolution of issues which are outside our control, but are nevertheless key dependencies for further roll-out.”

     

    The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria, ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said in a matter of weeks every operator would start NIN enrollment.

     

    He noted that operators had commenced preparatory arrangements in the regard of procurement, licensing and deployment.

     

    Adebayo said, “There are still administrative issues that are now being concluded.

     

    “There were procurement issues which was taking a little bit of time to start, but once operators start, we’ll ensure that the enrollment would commence and be wrapped with full speed.”

     

    Adebayo added that regardless of the difference in time, the entire industry were all committed to the exercise.

     

    Nigerians have been crowding NIMC registration centres in the bid to beat the Federal Government’s February 9 deadline for integration of subscribers’ numbers with their NINs.

     

    This prompted NIMC to license the telcos and other entities to provide identity numbers to those that have not been able to secure their own from the limited registration centres.