As part of its mandate of strengthening innovative systems in the country, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has deployed modern solar-powered irrigation systems in Gabasawa and Kumbotso Local Council Areas of Kano State to boost food production.

The initiative, implemented in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), is aimed at reducing farmers’ dependence on diesel-powered and petrol water pumps, which have become increasingly expensive to operate.

Meanwhile, business leaders in Kano State have commended the intervention of the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) as “far-reaching and impactful,” following its recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kano State Government on the management of the Aliko Dangote Skills Acquisition Centre.

Reacting to the development, Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Kano-Jigawa Branch, Muhammad Umar, said skills acquisition is one of the most effective ways of addressing youth unemployment in Nigeria.

Unveiling the NASENI technology at the irrigation sites in the two councils, the Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khalil Halilu, said the intervention was designed to provide farmers with affordable, reliable and environmentally friendly irrigation solutions.

Halilu, represented by the Director of Technical Services, Dr Emmanuel Ajani, explained that the technology is intended to ease the burden of irrigation on farmers through the reduction of energy costs and a sustainable source of power for agricultural activities.

Also speaking, Dr Adebayo Oke of IWMI, based in Accra, Ghana, said the organisation was collaborating with the federal government to ensure that farmers were adequately trained on the operation and effective utilisation of the solar-powered irrigation systems.