American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola in Adamawa State has received $100,000 grant from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to support agriculture information project for rural farmers in the state.
The programme is designed to cover 60 percent of the 40 million farmers with mobile devices in Nigeria by the end of 2024.
The funds targeted to support the university’s Agricultural Yawo Uniform Information and Access to Market System (A-YUNIAMS) project, which seeks to provide seamless information on farming techniques, financial opportunities, market prices of products and weather information to rural farmers through a mobile solution.
The project, which is being implemented by AUN’s School of Engineering, ASBA Synergy and InnoInspire Ltd, will start in Adamawa State in the Northeastern part of Nigeria before scaling to other parts of the country later in 2024.
In a letter conveying the offer to AUN, Afreximbank’s director in charge of African Union, African Continental Free Trade Agreement Relations and Trade Policy, Yusuf Daya, said that the bank recognized the “transformative potential of the A-YUNIAMS project and the impact it could have on the lives of rural farmers by providing them with information on modern, more resilient crop varieties, efficient farming techniques, funding opportunities and market prices that will empower them to improve their overall capacity and crop yield and would make for a more sustainable and profitable living.”
Daya noted that the mobile solution would help bridge the information gap faced by rural farmers on modern and more resilient crop varieties and efficient farming practices, etc., making the profession more sustainable and profitable. It would also build capacity to improve productivity of rural farmers, help support growth and expansion of local industries that could feed into the economic diversification.
The project manager, Dr Abubakar Sadiq Hussaini, a specialist in electrical-electronics and telecommunications engineering and dean of the School of Engineering at AUN, described the A-YUNIAMS project as a powerful tool, from farm to market, at the fingertips of farmers.
He said the project would bridge the information gap faced by farmers. “The application will provide farmers with a comprehensive suite of tools, from efficient farming techniques and real-time weather updates to invaluable market insights, empowering them to make informed decisions and to maximize their yields,” he added.
Hussaini extended special thanks to Prof. Benedict Oramah, president of Afreximbank, and his team for the financial support and pledged the project’s dedication to improving the wellbeing of rural farmers.
President of AUN, Dr DeWayne Frazier, also commended Afreximbank’s contribution, saying that it would make a meaningful difference. “This gift from Afreximbank is not only timely but also very generous,” he added.
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