Nigeria may spend $110 billion on meals imports by 2025 with out digital agriculture – Group warns
The Sasakawa Africa Affiliation (SAA) has warned that Nigeria may spend $110 billion on meals imports in 2025 if it fails to undertake and strengthen digital agricultural extension providers.
Dr. Godwin Atser, SAA’s Nation Director, made this identified on Tuesday in Abuja throughout the Annual Stakeholder Workshop themed “Reworking the Agricultural Panorama by Digital Agricultural Extension and Advisory Providers.”
Atser recognized extension and advisory providers as key to agricultural transformation, emphasizing that steady spending on meals imports is unsustainable.
“If we proceed alongside this path, we’re basically exporting jobs, which can additional influence our economic system. Nigeria may spend $110 billion on meals imports in 2025 if it fails to undertake and strengthen digital agricultural extension providers,” he acknowledged.
He added, “Nonetheless, if we hold importing meals whereas our productiveness stays low, local weather change—one of many key elements—will additional worsen the state of affairs.”
Atser referred to as for rapid stakeholder intervention to deal with the gaps in Nigeria’s agricultural extension providers, emphasizing the necessity for a shift in strategy.
Regardless of the provision of improvements able to remodeling agriculture, Atser famous that Nigeria’s extension system stays weak.
“In some states, there may be at the moment no extension service in any respect,” he mentioned. “We’ve got persistently seen that economies making progress in agricultural transformation are those who prioritize know-how switch.”
Leveraging digital options for agricultural development
Talking on the workshop theme, Atser highlighted that over 90% of Nigeria’s inhabitants use cellphones, with web penetration quickly growing throughout Africa.
He emphasised the necessity to leverage these alternatives to supply farmers with well timed and high-quality info, in the end enhancing their livelihoods.
“Harnessing the ability of digital options can be a key device in driving agricultural transformation,” he acknowledged.
“In at present’s fast-changing world, digital options are revolutionizing the supply of extension and advisory providers.
“They assist bridge gaps, empower stakeholders, and be sure that important information reaches those that want it most—whether or not in agriculture, well being, schooling, or enterprise.
“Digital instruments allow us to supply real-time, accessible, and data-driven assist, in the end enhancing decision-making and productiveness.”
AI and digital transformation in agriculture
Atser highlighted the growing position of Synthetic Intelligence (AI) in world agriculture, noting that AI-driven instruments can predict varied elements affecting the sector by computer-based evaluation.
He emphasised the necessity for stakeholders to leverage digital instruments to rework agriculture and confused that collaboration is essential in boosting productiveness.
In line with Atser, addressing the productiveness problem in agriculture and making digital options efficient is dependent upon sturdy collaboration.
