AfDB to partner BUK in achieving food security using technology

The President of Africa Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, has pledged commitment to partner with the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University Kano (BUK) in many areas to achieve food security using cutting-edge technology.

Adesina made this known Saturday evening when he visited the centre after being conferred with a Doctorate in Business Administration.

After a tour of the facility, the AfDB President said, “I was very impressed with what the University does in all areas and in particular the rigour they actually approach their work. I am delighted to be here at this centre, they are doing fantastic work.

“Why this centre is very important is that we live in an era of climate change and we get only three per cent of agriculture under irrigation therefore the issue is we have to help our farmers to make decisions according to weather and situations. Farmers need to be helped and have access to technologies that allow them to be able to produce crops and to be resilient in the face of climate change.

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“I am impressed with the work that I saw here. The African Development Bank will dip in the work that they are doing in maybe three to four ways. First, we will work with them to become one of the key centres to get technology such as water-efficient maize, and heat-tolerance wheat varieties to farmers at the scale of millions.

“Secondly we will work with them to also become a centre which we can use in modelling work so that we can know how to predict weather patterns and get that information to farmers so that they can plant better and the Bank will work with them through a program we call Africa Disaster Insurance Facility which supports farmers in countries in the face of climate change.

“The third area that we think is going to be important is Agric pitch for people to develop their business ideas and get 120,000 dollars. The major thing is to adapt to climate change. We will support them to be able to do more and also to be able to have a significant amount of more resources to be able to do more for those that actually win.

“I will make sure that this centre is given priority by the global centre on adaptation which I sit on the board together with the former UN Secretary General, Banki Moon because you are doing exactly what we want to see – supporting farmers in the face of climate change.”