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FG, UN Target $5bn Annually For Poverty Alleviation

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The Federal Government and the United Nations, and other development partners, are to raise $5billion annually for Nigeria’s Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund.
Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, who disclosed this, midweek, during a humanitarian coordination meeting at the United Nations House, Abuja, while engaging ambassadors, UN agencies, NGOs, etc, on their commitment to humanitarian crises in Nigeria, said the stakeholders are also committed to a coordinated approach and durable solutions for humanitarian response in Nigeria.
A statement from the Ministry said at the meeting, the honourable Minister engaged ambassadors, UN agencies, NGOs, etc, on their commitment to humanitarian crises in Nigeria.
“The meeting, which was at the instance of the minister, brought all the humanitarian responders in Nigeria under one roof, where they all committed to a durable, smart, and coordinated approach to humanitarian response.
“Part of the resolutions of the meeting was the commitment to raise $5bn annually for the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund in Nigeria, by the Federal Government, other countries, private sector, donor agencies, and the development partners”, the ministry stated in the statement.
Edu conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s appreciation to the United Nations agencies and development partners for their contributions to easing humanitarian challenges in Nigeria.
She, however, stressed that the era of uncoordinated, unaccountable, and silotic approaches to humanitarian response in Nigeria was over.
“President Bola Tinubu does appreciate the effort of the UN agencies and other organisations that are working in the humanitarian space, but we just need to bring this effort in a more coordinated manner so that we can achieve more, especially in the face of dwindling resources.
“There is a need for the government to take the lead and properly coordinate. The days of uncoordinated responses to the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria should be over.
“The days of operating in silos and duplicating efforts that lead to wastage, among other things, should be over. The government must take the lead to coordinate, to ensure that we are first in line with government priorities, and then secondly, we are meeting our targets”, she stated.
She emphasised the Federal Government’s commitment to reduce, prevent, mitigate, and respond adequately to the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria in a more coordinated manner, thereby reducing poverty by 50 per cent.
Speaking, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria,  Matthias Schmale, who spoke on behalf of UN agencies, expressed support for the government in its effort to tackle humanitarian challenges.
“We’ve heard very clearly from you that humanitarian needs span the rest of the country. We are here as United Nations agencies to support in ensuring proper coordination, develop review and implementation response plan, mobilise resources for country response, as well as align to the Federal Government priorities”, he said.

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USTR Criticises Nigeria’s Import Ban On Agriculture, Others

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The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the  Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.

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Expert Seeks Cooperative-Driven Investments In Agriculture 

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A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.

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NACCIMA Proposes Hybrid Oil Palm Seedlings For Farmers

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The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.

King Onunwor

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