Latest news with #Lagos-based
eNCA
6 hours ago
- Science
- eNCA
Nigerian scientists await return of Egusi seeds sent to space
If Earthlings are ever going to colonise Mars, they won't be able to do so on an empty stomach -- and Temidayo Oniosun thinks a helping of Egusi soup, a Nigerian staple, might just hit the spot. Space in Africa, the Lagos-based firm Oniosun founded, is expecting its Egusi melon seeds to splash down in the Pacific Ocean Saturday -- fresh from a trip to the International Space Station. Once Earthside, experiments will begin on what is being hailed as the first food native to west Africa to be sent to space. As Oniosun told AFP on Friday, it could herald an era where space exploration reflects the planet's diversity. "When we talk about humans colonising other planets, this is not just an American mission or a European mission -- this is a global mission," he told AFP. And future African space explorers might enjoy a taste of home. Experiments on extraterrestrial food, which is to say tested in space, have been going on for years. Growing food in space is seen as a crucial part of long-distance space flight and long-term missions, where frequent resupply won't be feasible. - International tests - Scientists at the University of Florida in the United States, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan, will examine the seeds "to see the effects of exposure to space" and zero gravity, including on the seeds' DNA. Once planted, researchers will monitor their post-space performance and germination. The seeds went up to the ISS on a SpaceX Flight last week, as part of NASA's partnership with private firms. Oniosun said the inclusion of Egusi seeds marked an important step forward, both for those on Earth as well as future astronauts. High in protein, they are typically used to prepare soups and stews across west and central Africa. Africa's most populous country has a small space industry, but the launch of the seeds seemed to generate more excitement on social media and in newspapers than previous launches of Nigerian satellites, he said. "The moment that we're sending food that they love, a food that holds significant cultural contexts to Nigeria... everybody starts getting interested in the subject," Oniosun told AFP. "The launch of Egusi melon seeds into space is more than a symbolic gesture," he added. "The future of humanity among the stars must reflect the diversity and richness of life on Earth." Whether pounded yam -- the key dish served alongside Egusi soup -- will make its way to the final frontier remains to be seen. By Nicholas Roll
Time Business News
11 hours ago
- Business
- Time Business News
From Field to Forum: How Farming in Nigeria Is Being Reinvented Through Online Communities
The agricultural landscape in Nigeria is undergoing a significant digital transformation. Modern Nigerian farmers are increasingly leveraging online communities to enhance their farming practices, moving beyond traditional methods to embrace data-driven agricultural decisions. This shift represents a fundamental change in how farming in Nigeria operates, creating new opportunities for knowledge sharing and economic growth. Statistical data reveals the magnitude of this transformation. In 2023, approximately half of Nigerian farmers owned smartphones, but by 2024, mobile internet penetration reached 85% of farming communities across the country. Agricultural applications and online communities experienced a remarkable 340% growth within a single year. This digital adoption is particularly significant considering the agricultural sector feeds 220 million people and employs seven out of every ten rural Nigerians. The most impactful transformation is occurring through digital platforms where farmers exchange critical agricultural information, from plant disease diagnostics to real-time market pricing. These digital platforms have evolved into contemporary equivalents of traditional village meeting spaces, fundamentally transforming the agriculture community in Nigeria. Traditional agricultural knowledge systems have been enhanced rather than replaced through these online communities in Nigeria: Market price transparency eliminates exploitation by intermediaries. Collaborative weather monitoring reduces climate-related risks. Rapid disease outbreak containment through photographic documentation and expert diagnosis Optimised equipment utilisation through community resource sharing Direct access to government agricultural programmes and subsidies Agricultural professionals like Hauwa, who cultivates pepper crops in Katsina State, exemplify this transformation. Previously, her primary challenge was securing reliable quality seedlings, as local suppliers were inconsistent, and accessing agricultural research institutes required significant time investment. The situation improved dramatically when she connected with agricultural networks linking her to a dependable seedling supplier in Kano State. Subsequently, she gained access to drip irrigation expertise from Plateau State farmers and identified export market opportunities through Lagos-based contacts. Female farmers are leading this digital agricultural movement. Having been traditionally excluded from male-dominated agricultural meetings, they are establishing strong voices within online community spaces. Women now manage some of the most active agriculture community groups in Nigeria, facilitating knowledge exchange on topics ranging from organic fertiliser formulation to advanced livestock management techniques. Online community farming networks are enhancing rather than replacing traditional agricultural methods. Members combine time-tested practices with modern agricultural technologies, sharing traditional pest control formulations alongside discussions about soil testing protocols and contemporary irrigation systems. Innovative approaches include combining neem tree extract applications (utilised by farmers for generations) with precision timing based on meteorological data. Another emerging trend involves traditional crop calendar optimisation using satellite-based precipitation analysis. Active communities focus on practical problem-solving initiatives: Photographic plant disease diagnosis with expert identification within hours Collaborative purchasing groups reducing input costs by 30-40% through collective procurement Harvest timing coordination to prevent market oversupply and price volatility Structured mentorship programmes pairing experienced farmers with expanding agricultural entrepreneurs These digital agricultural networks generate measurable economic benefits. Farmers report income increases of 25-60% within their first year of active community engagement through improved market timing, reduced input costs, enhanced crop yields, and direct market access. The Rivers State Fish Farmers Association network demonstrates this impact effectively. Members coordinate feed procurement, share breeding methodologies, and establish direct sales relationships with restaurants and hotels, eliminating multiple intermediary markups. Their collective annual revenue increased from ₦50 million to ₦180 million over two years. This digital transformation is attracting younger professionals to agriculture. University graduates are returning to family farming operations with agricultural degrees and digital marketing expertise. They develop YouTube educational channels, manage Instagram business accounts for farm enterprises, and build customer networks spanning multiple states. Internet infrastructure continues expanding into rural areas, integrating more farmers into digital agricultural communities monthly. Government agricultural programmes increasingly utilise digital channels for direct farmer engagement. Private sector companies are developing Nigeria-specific agricultural applications optimised for limited internet connectivity environments. This transformation represents more than technology adoption. Farming in Nigeria is evolving into a connected, information-rich industry where knowledge flows efficiently and opportunities multiply through strategic networking. Platforms like RIBA-X are spearheading this transformation by developing comprehensive communities that integrate traditional agricultural expertise with modern business practices. Their methodology – connecting farmers with mentors, funding sources, and market opportunities – demonstrates how online communities in Nigeria can unlock agricultural potential nationwide. RIBA-X validates how farmers can thrive when they access appropriate networks and agricultural entrepreneurship flourishes. Contemporary Nigerian farmers are cultivating both crops and connections to sustain the nation and generate wealth for future generations. The digital revolution has fundamentally transformed how agriculture in Nigeria functions, creating unprecedented opportunities for collaboration, knowledge transfer, and economic growth. Through online communities, farmers have overcome geographical isolation and traditional information limitations. They now access real-time market intelligence, expert consultation, and peer support systems previously unavailable. This transformation particularly empowers female farmers and young agricultural entrepreneurs who are discovering new pathways to professional success. Agriculture in Nigeria has established its digital presence, and this technological evolution continues to accelerate. As more farmers join these digital networks and infrastructure development progresses, we anticipate continued innovations and improvements in agricultural productivity and farmer prosperity across the country. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Squeezed by urban growth, Nigerian fishermen stick to tradition
In the shadow of luxury apartment buildings under construction on the shores of the reservoir, Maniru Umar dips his oar into the water, pushing his shallow, wooden canoe forward through thick reeds. Out of a mix of pride and necessity, Umar and his fellow fishermen in Nigeria's rapidly expanding capital still do things the old-fashioned way, two-men crews working in a deft balancing act as they throw out nets over the side. "I grew up fishing with my father," said Umar, 20. "As long as I'm still fishing, I'll teach my son how to fish as well." Across Africa's most populous nation, city living isn't easy. Despite vibrant tech, oil and finance sectors, Nigeria's graft-plagued economy has long struggled to provide enough jobs for its more than 200 million-strong population. As the country rapidly urbanises, passing down their craft has become both a cultural lifeline and economic lifeline for Abuja's fishermen. "We only focus on primary and secondary school," said Kabir Suleiman, chairman of the fishermen's village, a settlement of one-room shacks tucked on the rocky shore of Jabi Lake, around ten minutes drive from downtown Abuja. Sending children to university is seen as a waste, he said, in a country where graduates often trickle back into the informal sector anyway. According to the World Bank, Nigeria only tipped into a majority-urban population in 2019 - a marker the United States passed about a century ago. On the whole, only sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia have yet to tip from majority rural to majority urban -- and into the drastically different economy that shift brings. "Nigeria could do a better job of utilising the intellectual, the physical, the behavioural strength of its young and urbanising population," said Ikemesit Effiong, a partner at SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy, noting more than half the country is under the age of 30. Nigeria's urban poor are increasingly made up of people moving from the countryside, he said -- but due to lacklustre public service delivery, they're often unable to access the fruits of urbanisation, from paved roads to clinics and schools. Evicted for luxury housing The 200 or so fishermen's relationship with Abuja's growth has been mixed. There are far more people to sell fish to in the capital than in the countryside. The city is also safe from "bandits", armed kidnapping gangs that rove the rural hinterlands. It was urbanisation that brought them here in the first place: the government built the Jabi reservoir dam in 1981. Fishermen from the countryside soon followed. But regular check-ins from the agriculture ministry have been replaced by the government selling off plots of land for development, Suleiman said. Nigeria's staggering economic inequality looms over them as luxury housing goes up just metres away from their settlement, which has been displaced twice in three years. Construction workers have at times cleared paddies and other vegetation - key fish habitats, Umar said. But he also wondered if the growing population of fishermen is leaving less fish to catch. Modern boats dot the lake, rented out by revellers keen for a cruise. In recent weeks, the fishermen say, surveyors have come to the village, saying it too is being sought by property developers. Next door is a new restaurant, gated off from the settlement. Above the entrance gate is a sign: Fisherman Village, Jabi Lake Resort. The actual Jabi fishermen, meanwhile, have their sights set on self-preservation, no matter what.
DW
2 days ago
- Politics
- DW
The hidden cost of peace in northern Nigeria – DW – 08/06/2025
In northern Nigeria, some communities have resorted to 'paying' bandit groups to secure some level of peace. But doing so could put the integrity of the nation at risk, analysts warn. Along the Sokoto-Zamfara state line, close to the Nigeria-Niger border, the villages of Sabon Birni and Isa have been abandoned. To avoid the same fate, some other villages have tried to strike peace deals with local bandit groups. This comes after years of failed efforts from the Nigerian state to stamp out armed non-state actors from terrorizing rural communities in the northern Nigerian states of Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina. Numerous villagers who spoke to DW told of family members being abducted and killed. Their livelihoods, which primarily consist of farming sorghum, millet, and livestock, and then trading their produce in nearby market towns, have been severely disrupted. Not only are local families facing a growing food shortage due to farms being abandoned or their harvests being looted, but Nigeria's entire northern region — historically the nation's agricultural heartland — can no longer produce enough food. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "We have been pleading for peace. We want to live and farm in peace. We have no access to our farms. We have to beg before we can feed our families," Suraju Mohammed from Sokoto told DW, adding that nothing is more important than peace. Peacebuilding analyst Dengiyefa Angalapu from the Lagos-based Centre for Democracy and Development describes the hard choices faced by villagers as "the failure of the social contract between the Nigerian government and the Nigerian people." Seeking a peace deal with violent non-state actors becomes "a rational survival calculus," he told DW. "Communities know these actors. They will tell you: "I know his father, I know his mother. This person grew up with us," Angalapu said. Farmers who want to return to their fields to produce food for their families risk abductions or face taxes imposed on them by the violent groups. Bandit territories overlap, so even if a peace deal is reached with one group in exchange for protection fees, fuel, and or food sharing, another group does not necessarily respect this. Recently, armed bandits on motorbikes rode into Zamfara State's Sabongarin Damri, killing 11 people and kidnapping at least 70 others, including women and children. "We want an end to the bloodshed. So, we are in support of the deal," Suraju Mohammed told DW, "We want the killings to stop and live peacefully." Analysts and international observers say there are areas of Nigeria now no longer considered under the government's control. For national security, this has severe implications. "There is now some level of parallel governance," Angalapu told DW. Negotiations with the violent gangs give the gangs some level of legitimacy in the eyes of the citizens, he said, which makes it difficult to stop them recruiting. "They tell communities: 'We are actually fighting for you. This government cannot protect you' — so in the long run it is very disadvantageous for national security." But on a local level, Angalapu says communities have little choice. "It's not as though they want these peace agreements. It's an act of survival. We have to strengthen the state capacity to protect these communities," he told DW. But for some community members like Aisha Tukur from Zamfara State making peace with the bandits is unacceptable: "They killed eight people in Turmi, four in Damne, three in Dauku. So, how do we make peace with that? There would not be any reconciliation between us. They should be prosecuted. They are heartless. They don't listen to our pleas." Local state governments have been battling violent non-state actors for years. But so far, neither mediation efforts, de-radicalization campaigns, nor force through armed patrols and airstrikes from the Nigerian military have brought long-lasting stability. Umaimah Abubakar fled the farming village of Ranganda, about 50 km (31 miles) north of Sokoto city, and now lives in an internally displaced peoples' camp. "The government hasn't really done anything for us except for paying ransoms whenever the bandits demanded. Even after that, the bandits would still come back months later," Abubakar told DW. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Bandit gangs maintain camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states. The unrest is believed to have started from clashes between herders and farmers over land and resources, but later evolved into a broader conflict fueled by arms trafficking made possible by insecurity in the Sahel region. To make matters worse, the violence is spreading from the northwest, and the gangs are becoming increasingly well-armed and coordinated. Increasing cooperation between the criminal gangs, who are primarily motivated by money, and jihadists — who are waging a separate, 16-year-old-armed insurrection in the northeast — has seen attacks worsen. Western monitors suggest bandits killed more civilians than the jihadists did from 2018 to 2023.
eNCA
3 days ago
- Business
- eNCA
Squeezed by urban growth, Nigerian fishermen stick to tradition
LAGOS- In the shadow of luxury apartment buildings under construction on the shores of the reservoir, Maniru Umar dips his oar into the water, pushing his shallow, wooden canoe forward through thick reeds. Out of a mix of pride and necessity, Umar and his fellow fishermen in Nigeria's rapidly expanding capital still do things the old-fashioned way, two-men crews working in a deft balancing act as they throw out nets over the side. "I grew up fishing with my father," said Umar, 20. "As long as I'm still fishing, I'll teach my son how to fish as well." Across Africa's most populous nation, city living isn't easy. Despite vibrant tech, oil and finance sectors, Nigeria's graft-plagued economy has long struggled to provide enough jobs for its more than 200 million-strong population. As the country rapidly urbanises, passing down their craft has become both a cultural lifeline and economic lifeline for Abuja's fishermen. "We only focus on primary and secondary school," said Kabir Suleiman, chairman of the fishermen's village, a settlement of one-room shacks tucked on the rocky shore of Jabi Lake, around 10 minutes drive from downtown Abuja. Sending children to university is seen as a waste, he said, in a country where graduates often trickle back into the informal sector anyway. According to the World Bank, Nigeria only tipped into a majority-urban population in 2019 -- a marker the United States passed about a century ago. On the whole, only sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia have yet to tip from majority rural to majority urban -- and into the drastically different economy that shift brings. AFP/File | OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT "Nigeria could do a better job of utilising the intellectual, the physical, the behavioural strength of its young and urbanising population," said Ikemesit Effiong, a partner at SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy, noting more than half the country is under the age of 30. Nigeria's urban poor are increasingly made up of people moving from the countryside, he said -- but due to lacklustre public service delivery, they're often unable to access the fruits of urbanisation, from paved roads to clinics and schools. - Evicted for luxury housing - The 200 or so fishermen's relationship with Abuja's growth has been mixed. There are far more people to sell fish to in the capital than in the countryside. The city is also safe from "bandits", armed kidnapping gangs that rove the rural hinterlands. It was urbanisation that brought them here in the first place: the government built the Jabi reservoir dam in 1981. Fishermen from the countryside soon followed. But regular check-ins from the agriculture ministry have been replaced by the government selling off plots of land for development, Suleiman said. Nigeria's staggering economic inequality looms over them as luxury housing goes up just feet away from their settlement, which has been displaced twice in three years. Construction workers have at times cleared paddies and other vegetation -- key fish habitats, Umar said. AFP/File | OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT But he also wondered if the growing population of fishermen is leaving less fish to catch. Modern boats dot the lake, rented out by revellers keen for a cruise. In recent weeks, the fishermen say, surveyors have come to the village, saying it too is being sought by property developers. Next door is a new restaurant, gated off from the settlement. Above the entrance gate is a sign: Fisherman Village, Jabi Lake Resort. The actual Jabi fishermen, meanwhile, have their sights set on self-preservation, no matter what. "This is our job," Suleiman said. "This is our business, this is the business our fathers have been doing, our parents have been doing." nro/sn/cw By Nicholas Roll
