Date: 2016-08-15

Africa's next step should be agricultural reform: Japan trade group exec The agrarian community of Edidi in Isin local government area of Kwara was on festive mood recently when investors from the United States of America and their partners in Nigeria visited the town on a business drive.

Residents of the community could not hide their joy as they went head over heels in celebration when the investors disclosed that they were bringing to the community, an investment worth one hundred million dollars. The two American based investors, Ecotech-rab and Tranfeed Group along with their Nigerian partner, Satco Global Group promised to, in the next 18 months, establish cassava production and processing factories in the community.

The factories are expected to gulp the sum of $100 million. The factories when completed, will create about 2,500 jobs, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Satco Global Group, Femi Philips disclosed. Philips said: "We are the sponsors of this project and it is going to cost us about $100 million. We intend to complete it in the next 18 months. The project is expected to gulp about 5000 hectares of land.

The first phase will be about two streams of 120 tons per day and there will be an upgrade of 48 tons per day; giving us about 168 tons per day for a stream. "We are going to bring our expertise into planting cassava in a manner that will allow for optimum yield. So we are bringing our species from outside Nigeria and blend with the local species in Nigeria. We are looking at working with IITA in this area.

"We are going to be producing starch powder, ethanol and production of feeds for livestock and others. It is an agro-business kind of" he added assuring that concerted efforts are being made to ensure quick take-off of the company so as to support the economic growth and development of both the community and the state at large.

Also speaking President, Ecotech-rab Jorge de la Torre said "we are coming together with other partners to establish agro-industrial project in this community in order to improve the living condition and create employment for people. We intend to start these two plants before the end of 2017. Wewill work very hard for the successful completion of this project. This is our target and this is what we want."

On his part, President of Transeed Group, Dr. Tim Dumah said that "the good news is that we are going to train people to have new skills. For that reason I think it is a win-win situation for the community and us. "Agriculture is the in thing in Nigeria; we want to put this community on the world map through creation of jobs by the project."

The visit of the investors to the community was greeted with fun and fanfare as the residents who are visibly impressed with the visit and the seeming turn around in their fortunes, converged to give the investors a rousing welcome. On that fateful day gun shots rented the air and talking drum's echoes broke the silence of the sleepy community.

Scores of Edidi indigenes converged on the palace of Eledidi of Edidi land, Oba Gabriel Aboyeji waiting for the august visitors. The hilarity in their discussions was better imagined as the exchange of banters and pleasantries bordered on the visit and the accompanying benefits to the community.

On arrival at the monarch's palace for a courtesy call, the expatriate among the investors jumped into the dancing arena wriggling his waist and dancing to the rhythm of the talking drums. One of the residents, who obviously could hide his joy, exclaimed in the local dialect and uttered a sentence which literally translates to "this is African man at heart in Whiteman skin."

Receiving the visitors, Oba Aboyeji assured that the investors would not regret investing in his domain, adding "there will be no hindrance of any form. "I urge you therefore to consider first indigenes of the community as soon as the project kicks-off. We are assuring you of our cooperation as the community is peaceful."