Farouk Gumel

In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The first two goals were "No poverty and Zero Hunger". These Are problems common to all nations although its severity differs in each nation and region. FAO data shows Africa as the region most impacted by hunger and malnutrition. Apart from the obvious fact that we all need food to live, hunger and malnutrition also have other adverse and long-term socioeconomic consequences such as poor health, under education and insecurity. It is a fact that Chronic undernutrition hinders the growth and wellbeing of children under five years old. As these children grow, they will continue to have health and/or learning difficulties.  In 2018, 49.5 million children under five were affected by acute malnutrition. It is reported that Africa and Asia accounted for nine out of ten of these cases. These Affected children are excessive...

In recent years, the importance of rice in Nigeria, and indeed West Africa’s, economy and politics is clear for all to see. On paper, Africa’s policy is to be self-sufficient on food. However, the implementation has been a different story. While some countries pursue a food self-sufficiency by supporting backward integration, others have been increasing their imports of food items from Asia (China, India and Thailand) and South America (Brazil). This resulted in tensions between some countries on the continent. The most visible one is in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African political and trading union block. Nigeria started its “rice revolution” in 2015. The Nigerian Government, through various monetary and fiscal policies, supported its farmers and millers to produce and process local rice while penalising and restricting importers. Nigeria introduced levies and foreign exchange restrictions on food imports while providing concessionary loans and t...

  Farouk Gumel -In a continent where some 50% of its population are farmers, Africa still imports billions of dollars of food every year to meet its needs. These imports, which are by choice and not out of necessity, have kept the demand for locally produced food items at extremely low levels. As a result, Africa’s rural farmers, except for those in export focused value chains, were left in a vicious circle of subsistence with little opportunity for growth. The sad fact is these imported food items (including grains) can be grown indigenously. In Africa, agriculture remains the key link that connects the affluent urban centres to the poorer rural areas. What does this mean you ask? Well, Africa’s growing middle class (entrepreneurs or salaried staff) live in its urban centres. They spend a sizable amount of their income on food. But due to Africa’s reliance on food imports, these funds are sent overseas thereby creating jobs abroad. As the urban consumer patronises imported food it...

  Farouk Gumel , Nigeria - In this technology-driven world, we are gradually seeing every aspect of human life being influenced by technology. This has changed the way we see and do things. The agricultural sector is not any different. On a daily basis, we learn of new technologies that support farming, storage, processing, logistics, and sales. This is very exciting for the sector which, at least in Africa, has been very slow to modernize. The question however is how can we transition to ensure we fully harness the benefits of modern agricultural practices while managing its inherent risks? The Technological Advancement in Farming State of the art technology and science-based farming practices undoubtedly bring higher yields, more efficient production, better quality products, and enhanced profitability. In developed and/or sparsely populated nations, farming machinery is preferred as they are more efficient and cheaper. The automation of planting, irrigation, and harvesting has ...

  Nigeria, like many Africa nations, is an agrarian nation. Contrary to the general perception that it is an oil and gas country, the majority of Nigerians in reality earn their living through the agricultural and food value chain. This should not be a surprise. A country with over 200 million people will surely have a large appetite. In this article, we are going to briefly look at how agriculture is one of the biggest reasons why Nigeria is the world’s 27th largest economy, and why investing in this sector will propel Nigeria to greater heights globally. Farouk Gumel, the executive director of TGI, said about Nigerian GDP and How nigeria farming improving day by day. The Truth About Nigerian GDP Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa with the highest population on the continent. It was ranked the 27th largest economy globally and is among the largest producers of oil and gas in the world. The whole world knows Nigeria for its Oil while ignoring its other assets – arable land, w...