Nigeria, others can assess $120m global seed money for fish, soya beans, says TAAT

The programme Coordinator, Technology for Africa Agriculture Transformation [TAAT], Mr. Crist Akem, has revealed that Nigeria, and other African countries with keen interest in fish, soya beans, cassava, vegetables and cocoa production can now assess the $120 million seed money put together by the World Bank, African Development Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gate foundation to boost agriculture the continent

Akem said unlike in the past where farmers were finding it difficult to assess funds to step up agriculture production beneficiary countries must however signal the interest of their citizens in small-scale enterprises to be qualified for assessing the funds.

The TAAT Coordinator gave the assurance on Tuesday in his address to the workshop organized for focal nations under TAAT in Abuja.

He said the Aquaculture Compact is one of the 15 compacts comprising the TAAT led by the World Fish Centre.

Stressing that it would assist in dissemination and up-scaling aquaculture technologies across Africa to increase aquaculture value chain actors’ productivity, increase fish protein consumption and enhance sustainability across the value chain.

In the same vain, a Director in the Department of Fisheries and Acqua-culture, Federal Ministry of agriculture, Pwaspo Istifanus said that the gesture would boost fish and other agriculture production for the country.

He lamented that it is unfortunate that the country now has a yearly deficit of about 2.4 million metric tonnes of fish production.

He noted, ‘’Nigeria’s annual national fish demand is 3.5 million metric tonnes while total production from all sources [Acqua-Culture, Artisanal and Industrial] is about 1.1 million metric tonnes yearly’’.