Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, alongside 20 state governors, will attend a high-level workshop on the Kano State Agropastoral Development Project (KSADP).
The event, scheduled for October 7-8, 2024, will be held at the Kano State Government House and in the field, focusing on agricultural transformation through the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)-funded KSADP.
The workshop, chaired by Obasanjo, aims to showcase KSADP’s achievements and discuss scaling similar initiatives across other states. Representatives from 10 African countries, alongside officials from the IsDB headquarters in Jeddah, will also be present.
Organised by the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) in collaboration with IsDB and the Kano State government, the workshop is themed “Agricultural Transformation and What Works: Reflections from the Crop Value Chain of the KSADP”. The event will spotlight the project’s success and foster discussions on replicating its model in other regions.
Kano State governor, Engr. Abba Yusuf will host Obasanjo and governors from Jigawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun, Enugu, Cross River, Benue, Gombe, Yobe, Zamfara, Niger, Katsina and Akwa Ibom states. Federal ministries and agencies will also be represented.
Country director of SAA Nigeria, Dr. Godwin Atser emphasised that the workshop will highlight KSADP’s achievements and offer networking opportunities for participating governors to explore potential IsDB funding for agricultural projects in their states.
“In the past three years, KSADP has positioned Kano for sustainable agricultural growth, with significant investments in climate-smart agriculture, livestock, post-harvest loss reduction, poverty alleviation and infrastructure development,” Atser said. He noted that Kano’s farming communities have seen remarkable improvements in productivity, livelihoods and peaceful coexistence between crop and livestock farmers.
“We are honoured to have His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo chair this event,” Atser continued, highlighting Obasanjo’s vast experience in agricultural transformation across Nigeria and Africa. He also expressed gratitude to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for his dedication to agriculture-driven economic growth.
The two-day workshop will include the launch of a large-scale mechanisation support initiative for Kano’s farmers and presentations from IsDB on how the state accessed agricultural development financing. Former IsDB vice-president for country programmes and recently appointed chairman of the Board of Industry (BOI), Dr. Mansur Mukhtar will also be in attendance.
Other notable participants include former Kano State governor, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso; Nippon Foundation chairman, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa; SAA board chair, Dr. Amit Roy and SAA president, Dr. Makoto Kitanaka. The event will also feature the launch of a book titled Sasakawa Africa Association: Three Decades of Fighting Poverty and Hunger in Nigeria, written by Prof. Mohammed Khalid Othman.
SAA Nigeria is implementing the crop value chain component of the KSADP through a $19.3 million sub-grant, providing technical support to boost agricultural productivity and competitiveness. The project enhances farmers’ access to inputs, value addition, e-extension services, agribusiness development and capacity building in crop production, post-harvest operations, and market access. It also addresses issues such as private sector involvement, climate-smart agriculture, gender mainstreaming, and human nutrition.
SAA is working with 450,000 smallholder farmers across Kano’s 44 local government areas, focusing on value chains for rice, maize, sorghum, millet, tomatoes, onions and cabbage.
