AfDB injects $40m into agriculture development in Nigeria , others

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has injected an aggregate of $40 million seed fund into agriculture development projects in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mali and 24 other countries. The development came under its Technology for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative.

Adeniyi Adediran, the TAAT coordinator for Nigeria Livestock Compact gave the information at forum in Ibadan.

The fund, however, is to be distributed among 15 sub-projects with nine compacts and six enablers.

The livestock compact on poultry and small ruminants are already being undertaken in Ethiopia, Mali and Nigeria, where cassava skin is being converted to affordable livestock feed.

The projects, he said are being managed by key partners in Business Innovation Facility (BIF), UKAID and the Department for International Development (DfID).

Tunde Amole, the ILRI country representative, said at the meeting that the major focus in South West Nigeria under TAAT is to promote High Quality Cassava Peels (HQCP) mash for the livestock industry, adding that HQCP could be fortified and used to feed livestock especially poultry and pigs.