Business
WAAPP’s Beneficiary Invents Multi-Purpose Drying Machine
Nobex Tech. Company, a
beneficiary of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), has invented a multi-purpose drying machine to curb post harvest losses in the country.
The Company’s Managing Director, Mr Idowu Adeoja, told the 9th WAAPP Supervision Mission team in Lagos that the dryer could dry 400kg of fruits, vegetables or cereals in 22 hours.
Adeoja, said the dryer could effectively dry and retain nutrients and taste of tomato, banana, pineapple, mango, cashew, smoke fish, ‘kilishi’, cereals among others.
The managing director explained that the dryer, which comes in different sizes, making it affordable for food, could be powered by kerosene, diesel or electricity.
According to him, finished product from the machine could be further processed into pounded yam, ‘fufu’, garri among others.
The managing director said processors in countries like Gambia, Cote d’ Voire, Uganda, Mali, Ghana, Senegal and Portugal had approached the company and have acquired the machine.
Adeoja said the idea of drying fruits was a product of a WAAPP sponsored training in Burkina Faso, describing the collaboration with the programme was an ‘eye opener’.
In his remarks, Mission Team Leader and Representative of the World, Bank Mr Shehu Salau, commended Nobex for the initiative.
He said the objective of the mission was to see how the beneficiaries of the project were performing in their various efforts.
While commending the sub regional impact of initiative, Salau said the project was being implemented in 13 countries in the sub region with the aim of boosting productivity and strengthening diplomatic ties.
He urged Nobex to remain open to sister countries in the sub region to enable the project achieve its objective in the region.