General News
HarvestPlus, Dominican Centre Partner on Empowerment of Agripreneurs

At a recent empowerment seminar organized by the Dominican Centre for Human Resources Development (DCHRD) to train potential investors in agricultural business, stakeholders came to a conclusion that agriculture remains the bastion of Nigeria’s economy.
Agriculture currently contributes 47 percent to the rebased gross domestic product (GDP) and employs close to 70 percent of our total population.
It accounts for 10 percent of our export earnings. Nigeria’s foreign direct investment (FDI) stands at $6.1 billion and her GDP keeps growing at 7.7 percent, thus making the country one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
One of the key messages to the over 150 enthusiastic participants at the seminar was that Nigeria’s future rests squarely on agriculture and those who undertake to invest in it.
The speakers dissected the agricultural sector and proffered solutions.
HarvestPlus Nigeria, in line with its objectives of promoting biofortified staple crops and foods to tackle hidden hunger, malnutrition and poverty as well as empowerment of Nigerians with requisite skills in Vitamin A cassava production, value addition and marketing, partnered the Dominican Centre to organize the three-day empowerment seminar/training for members of the church.
A statement by Abayomi Awelewa, communication officer, HarvestPlus Nigeria, disclosed that the seminar held at St Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba, between Friday, and Sunday, January 16 – 18, 2015, DCHRD, the arm of St Dominic Catholic Church responsible for grooming investors in Agricultural business, tagged the three-day session as ‘Wealth creation through agriculture.’
Declaring the seminar/training open, Fr. Fortunatus Okeke, director, DCHRD, welcomed the participants to a new era in the history of Nigeria and urged them to utilize the opportunities presented by the training to empower themselves economically.
“The seminar is conceived to make a statement that despite the fact that Lagos doesn’t have much land space for agriculture, the state can become a hub for other opportunities in the agricultural value chain. Some of these opportunities include: job creation, poverty reduction, capacity building, and helping individual and corporations in creating profitable and successful businesses.”
Okeke further said that agriculture remains one of the most viable alternatives to oil and agricultural investors are the ones Government looks up to in helping to solve the problems of hunger, unemployment and dwindling fortune of the economy.
He urged the participants to learn from the practical experiences of the professionals from HarvestPlus Nigeria, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), The Dominican Centre, and the special guest of honour, Chief Audu Ogbeh, CEO, Efugo Farms, Makurdi, among others, who were at the training to inspire the investors.
Delivering the keynote address, Paul Ilona, HarvestPlus country manager, described agriculture as an orphan sector because of years of neglect by relevant stakeholders. “Nigeria used to be the powerhouse of agriculture in the world; one of the biggest exporters of palm oil, groundnut and cocoa, among other crops. Agriculture benefitted most institutions in Nigeria and created jobs. But the story is no longer the same. The country has gradually become a net food importer,” Ilona said.
He lauded ongoing effort by Government, institutions and individuals to revive the sector and urged a sustainable programme of action to ensure a speedy recovery of our lost years of agricultural glory.
“Food has no substitute because man just has to eat; and agriculture is the only means through which food is produced. The advanced countries like the United States of America, the Netherland, Australia, etc, began their journey to economic greatness with agriculture. In our country where the per capita income is a little above one dollar and over 100 million Nigerians live below a dollar per day, we have no choice but to turn towards agriculture as the only way out of poverty and economic doom,” Ilona further said.
HarvestPlus country manager also advised the participants to cease seeing agriculture as a social set up but to regard it as a business and run it applying all known business principles so as to sustain their profit and remain in business for long.
He encouraged them to educate themselves in agricultural business and identify the appropriate agricultural value chain they would like to invest in before making the decision to become farmers.
In his lecture entitled “Making agriculture a realistic enterprise in Nigeria,” Chief Audu Ogbeh, said agriculture, as a business, must be protected against foreign competition. Crops like cassava, tomatoes, rice, cotton, maize, and cocoa as well as fish have been identified by the government as those for which local and global demands keep increasing. Investing in growing these agricultural produce will go a long way to enhance the country’s economy and empower the farmers to eradicate poverty and eliminate hunger.
To achieve good and sustainable result, Ogbeh opined, Nigerian farmers need Government’s help through sound economic policies and technical support.
“This will enable them to compete with their counterparts in other parts of the world and earn good profit from their investment. Our Government must be firm in their policy and decision making and must ensure that whatever we can produce, we do not import, Ogbeh said.
He lauded the participants for choosing to invest in agriculture, urging them to see one another as members of the same community with similar interests.
He promised to continue to collaborate with the Dominican Centre and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the farmers’ dreams of successful agricultural businesses become a reality.
The training segment of the empowerment seminar focused on three key agricultural enterprises, which are: fingerling production, plantain/banana multiplication, and use of agro-chemicals in modern agriculture.
Other topics addressed by experts during the three days include: “Wealth creation through Agriculture,” “Best bet practices in cassava value chain,” “Strategic investments in the agricultural sector in Nigeria,” “Funding the SME: Hope for investors,” “Wealth creation through the cassava value chain,” “Youth empowerment through agriculture: Viable option for economic development,” “Economic politics of western Europe: Implications on Nigeria’s economy,” ”Leveraging on digital marketing in agro-business,” “Proper record-keeping, financial discipline and auditing in SME,” among others.
The seminar concluded by creating a new farmer’s cooperatives which, the organizers believe, will operate a shareholding system like public liability companies (PLCs) to guarantee success. The participants were further broken into syndicate groups for effective coordination.
“Unlike similar training seminars across Nigeria, the Dominican Centre and its strategic partners like the HarvestPlus, IITA, Chief Audu Ogbeh, etc, are being pro-active in the drive to ensure a sustainable economic development driven by agriculture. We are committed to the process and we’ll organize more of this seminar in various parts of the country beginning from this year,” Fr. Okeke said.
Exhibition of various farm produce and Vitamin A cassava food products was held within the premises of St Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba, throughout the duration of the empowerment seminar.
HarvestPlus leads a global effort to improve nutrition and public health by developing and deploying staple food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals.
It works with diverse partners in more than 40 countries. HarvestPlus is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH).
CGIAR is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by its 15 research centers in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations.
The HarvestPlus program is coordinated by two of these centers, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
General News
Nigeria’s BNPL Market is Projected to Value @ $2.6B by 2030

Nigeria’s Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market is on a fast-growing trajectory and is predicted to be valued $2.61 billion by 2030, up 83% from $1.42 billion in 2024, owing primarily to the rapid emergence of fintechs in the country.
This observation was stated in EnterpriseNGR’s State of Enterprise 2025 report, which focuses on how fintechs are reshaping Nigeria’s business landscape through digital innovations, accessible credit systems, and mobile-first financial tools.
As a credit system, BNPL allows users to stagger payments for products and services, making it a key development driver in Nigeria’s developing digital economy.
From 2021 to 2024, the BNPL experienced a compounded annual growth rate of 23.1%. Fintechs have contributed to the rapid growth by providing a range of flexible loan alternatives for e-commerce, retail, and services, bridging financial gaps for millions of disadvantaged Nigerians.
The report highlights how fintechs have contributed to Nigeria’s flexibility and resiliency by simplifying digital payments, automating invoicing and payroll systems, and democratising credit through platforms such as Renmoney and FairMoney.
The report also shows a significant rise in remittance inflows into Nigeria following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2024 policy adjustments.
According to the report, by 2024, Nigeria boasted over 400 licensed digital lenders who extend collateral-free credit to those commonly excluded by banks.
General News
FG, Netherlands Partner on Digital Migration for NIS

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) strengthened bilateral relations with the Netherlands’ government through an agreement targeted at improving migration governance and border security.
This partnership was confirmed during a meeting at the NIS headquarters in Abuja, which was attended by a Dutch team led by Jurgen Bartelink, Chargé D’Affaires of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria.
The meeting focused on increasing bilateral migration cooperation and came after the comptroller general of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, paid a working visit to the Netherlands.
Under the agreement, the Dutch government pledged to continue supporting technology-driven solutions targeted at boosting Nigeria’s border control systems and improving migration management.
During the Netherlands Embassy diplomats handed over essential operational tools, such as Edison Software licence keys and the Passport Examination Programme Manual App.
According to NIS spokeswoman ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, “The partnership focuses on enhancing bilateral collaboration on migration management and reviewing ongoing capacity-building efforts.”
Bartelink, Chargé d’Affaires of the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria, underlined the Netherlands’ commitment to helping Nigeria’s continuing border security and migration reforms.
Also speaking, Rob Bokhoven, head of international affairs, repatriation, and deportation services at the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, emphasised the country’s strong bilateral relations and announced plans to share a mobile border software solution with the NIS.
Receiving the equipment, Nandap said the delivery of the gadgets would boost West African country’s border security, significantly improve the service’s document verification border management capabilities and support the implementation of Nigeria’s National Migration Policy.
“The engagement will further reinforce the strategic partnership between Nigeria and the Netherlands advancing shared goals in migration governance, border security and international cooperation,” she added.
General News
AfDB Cuts Nigeria’s Growth Projection to 3.2%

Peter Enogb, principal country economist, African Development Bank (AfDB), says the rise in global uncertainty, emanating from increases in global trade tariffs, has slowed Nigeria’s projected growth to 3.2% in 2025.
“Without this level of heightened uncertainty, our projections would probably have been somewhat higher. We’ve reduced our projections for Nigeria. We initially were projecting 3.5% – 3.6% growth in 2025.
“But given the current situation, our models are showing that we’re taking a more cautious approach. So that’s why we produced this and, of course, the main driver is uncertainty in the global economy,” Enogb said.
He said this at the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Country Focus Report (CFR) on Thursday.
AFDB projected that real GDP growth would hit 3.1% in 2026. Following the 2024 consumer price index (CPI) rebasing, with lower weights for food items, the inflation rate is expected to reduce over the medium term to 24.7% in 2025 and 17.3% in 2026.
As imports start to rise over the medium term, the current account is projected to decline to 3.9% of GDP in 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation slowed for the second consecutive month to 22.97% in May. This is down from 24.48% at the start of the year
This is contrary to the World Bank projection that Nigeria’s economy would record steady growth of 3.6% despite the shift in the global trade dynamics.
Joseph Ogebe, head of research and development at Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), also said that global uncertainty had been very high in recent times, resulting from the Trump 2.0 effect.
“And also with the recent war between Israel and the international community, we’ve seen what’s happening to oil prices. Even with the call-off of the war, we’ve seen the effect on oil prices too, which has implications on the fiscal side. So it has implications for the general economy,” he said.
The head of research at NESG said that rather than focusing on just growth, what should be looked at is a strategy called growth with depth.
“Growth with depth means that your growth must be diversified, export-led, productive, and technologically driven,” he said.
Ogebe said that if the Government works towards adopting a strategy of growth with depth, there is a tendency for the government to move towards its goal of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
The report revealed that the country’s recent policy moves, including fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and tax reforms, reflect a commitment to long-term transformation.
However, it also pointed out that at about 13%, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio is among the lowest in West Africa, noting that fiscal reforms are urgent.
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