IIAS To Hold Agribusiness Workshop In Abuja Thursday

The International Institute for African Scholars (IIAS) will on Thursday, April 7, 2022, host a workshop on how to transform agricultural produce into secondary products.

The workshop, slated to hold at Immaculate Suites and Apartments, Wuse 2, Abuja, has as its theme: Value-Chain Approach: Transformation of Agricultural Produce to Pharmaceuticals and Food Products.

A statement from the organisers signed by Dr. Chima Nwosu said the purpose of the workshop was to discuss farming activities and the technologies applied, or applicable. It added that if many people are involved in primary and secondary activities, productivity will increase.

It said that IIAS provides support to universities and scholars across the globe in areas of academic research, publications, consulting and collaborations, and believes that Institutions of higher learning stand the chance of raising standards to the benefit of mankind by adapting some of their research results into real life solutions.

"The focus of the IIAS Project group is to identify people who are involved in farming activities but are not able to qualify for regular bank loans or financing. The aim is to help these people increase their productivity, market their products within well designed channels and expand participation.

“Some of the topics are on snail value chain and its connection to the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, processing of banana and plantain stems for medicinal remedies, coordination of agro-allied clusters along value chains, expanding the cultivation and processing Vitamin A rich cassava, making agriculture attractive to Nigerian youths, examining farm practices and food security in Nigeria, integration of agricultural value chain and supply chain across continental Africa,” the statement said.

The group said the workshop will be a hands-on affair that will explore the transformation of agricultural produce into secondary products, and will also address appropriate supply chain models across Nigerian states, neighbouring countries and other regions. While the training targets export readiness, expanding intra-state supply chain would be given a more considerable latitude.



According to the statement, the workshop would be handled by top professionals and experts in the field.

"We are tapping from the knowledge of our members who have volunteered to be part of the efforts. The IIAS Project Department is currently working with farmers, traders, warehouse owners, transporters, marketers, digital marketers and advertisers to expand the supply chain across African countries. More than 700 individuals have registered for our pilot agricultural loan/grant programme. Some of these are from Uganda, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Guinea, Cameroun, South Africa and Togo. Our efforts are geared towards addressing the issue of food security,” it noted.