…as MTN assures on free sim-cards, services to farmers

…Successory Nigeria Limited to provide solutions to farmers’ needs

By Gabriel Ewepu

AS agricultural revolution continues to unfold with new innovations and creativity, the Nigerian Incentive –Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending, NIRSAL, Thursday, launched maiden NIRSAL Farmers Business School, FBS, to provide capacity building and boost farmers’ performance, productivity and profitability.

The launch of FBS was done by the Managing Director, MD, and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, NIRSAL,  Aliyu Abdulhmeed, along with partners-Successory Nigeria Limited and MTN Nigeria.

In a keynote address, Abdulhmeed explained that that the school is a virtual platform that is interactive, hence no need of any form of physical contact to attend and address farmers’ need from planting to harvesting of their crops along various value chains.

He allayed concerns that the platform may be too sophisticated and expensive for some rural farmers to use. He said that pre-design research and situational analyses took such concerns into account, hence, the product is a multi-language, offline on-the-go platform that can be accessed via any mobile phone – smart or not.

In terms of cost, he said that at N100 per week, a subscriber could access all the courses and assessments due to them, and at their own pace. A N50 fee would apply for access to additional market opportunities, weather forecasts/updates, and special deals, while with N20 only, subscribers could procure step-by-step guidance on specific farm activities such as pest control and fertilizer application.

He emphasized the importance of the platform to NIRSAL Plc, its owners the CBN, the Federal Government, Banks, and other investors in agricultural primary production as it will promote the inclusion of farmers in the use of ICT and limit physical classroom engagements in line with the new normal.

He said: “For so long, NIRSAL has contemplated a conduit through which its interactions with farmers and other agricultural value chain stakeholders can be carried on seamlessly and cost-effectively.

“Upon its signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), that need was again highlighted in regard to the prompt dissemination of vital weather information to farmers in the fields as they become available.

“Due to the painstaking work of our partners – Successory Nigeria Limited, and collaborators – MTN Nigeria and FBIS Technologies, an innovative solution to this challenge has now materialized: it is the NIRSAL Farmers Business School (NFBS).

“The NIRSAL Farmers Business School will address the lack of access to information which is critical to the success of production cycles, particularly in the face of changing weather and climatic conditions.

“These changes presuppose that the guidance of diverse professionals like meteorologists, agronomists, soil scientists, market researchers, and so on must be funneled into primary production activities to help farmers achieve the best possible outcomes.”

He also made it known that, “NIRSAL under our Geo-agro locations which we started in 2019 and in our data base today, we can boast of about 3 million registered farmers and we have the map, geo-locational map, the KYCs of those farmers, KYL (Know Your Leaders), KYF (Know Your Farm), KYN (Know Your Neighbour).

“So we have huge data centre to guide MTN and regulatory authorities on where to concentrate their connection networks. For take-off, the farmers under the geo-map are ready made and available.

“Like we said earlier, there are 70 per cent of Nigerian population who are farmers which is between 120 million and 140 million people. The beauty about this programme is a point multiple is a broadcast system that relies on GSM network, so farmers will enroll beyond the NIRSAL farmers.

“This is technology-driven virtuous school. So that is the beauty about it, is a low cost model, a cyberspace you can access. The servers of MTN as partner are the classroom. So there is no physical space. Farmers in the geography of Nigeria so far there is MTN coverage farmers in those locations can access that.

According to the NIRSAL boss, NIRSAL did not put any money down, “But we provided the technical framework, the content, curriculum because we know what exactly the farmer goes through from the moment he decides to grow any single commodity, we know the kind of soil he needs, agronomy practice he needs, fertilizer, seeds, crop protection product, activities he needs to ensure maximal yields.

“And by the time we know these farmers that they are micro adhered, micro-managed with the loans we facilitate for them can generate maximal revenue or profit therefore enriching them and taking them out of poverty.”

He concluded by pointing out that the platform also holds great value for NIRSAL’s officials in the field who have been wading through towns, villages and bushes to perform their training and capacity building assignments.

Present at the launch event, Chief Sales Distribution Officer of MTN Nigeria, Adekunle Adebiyi, enthused that MTN is a natural collaborator in initiatives that meaningfully connect, inform and educate Nigerians. He said that MTN’s peerless network connectivity in Nigeria will serve as the conduit for a seamless, continuous, and cost-effective interaction between NIRSAL Plc and farmers, which will lead to improved productivity and earnings across board.

Adebiyi declared MTN’s resolution to further support the initiative with free SIM cards for farmers as a way of accelerating the take-off of the platform and the on boarding of millions of farmers.

Situated in all 36 states of the federation and the FCT, NIRSAL’s Project Monitoring, Reporting and Remediation Offices (PMRO) were provided with the product shortcode in advance to ground truth and to understand the approaches for on boarding users on new and existing MTN SIM cards.

A brief demo of the platform revealed its paced, multi-language interactivity, as well as ease of navigation. The demo was conducted by Mr. Isaiah Bendi, Managing Director/CEO of FBIS Technologies, who expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in a project with potentials for massive national impact.

The Acting Director of Corporate Communications of the CBN, Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, who was also present at the launch event applauded NIRSAL Plc and its partners for the initiative and urged the press to drive its uptake nationally for the good of all.

As the lead developer of the product, Successory’s job is not done yet as it would oversee the on boarding process of subscribers and address whatever teething challenges that occur. Beyond that, the company is to ensure that the NIRSAL Farmers’ Business School continues to give value to NIRSAL Plc and the farmers who use the platform to boost their capacities and productivity.

Incidentally, the launch of the NIRSAL Farmers’ Business School (NFBS) follows the ongoing provision of Strategic Business Support Services (SBSS) by NIRSAL Plc nationwide. Challenged by a general apathy amongst smallholder farmers towards scholarly mentorship programs, and an insatiable appetite for government grants, the delivery of the SBSS will be enhanced by the ease and convenience offered by the NFBS.