Harboursandport.com: Lagos - The Chairman, National Quality Council (NQC), Osita Aboloma has enjoined stakeholders in the agricultural sector in Nigeria to provide necessary support to ensure the success of the forthcoming African Cassava Conference (ACC) scheduled for Abuja in October 2023.
Aboloma called on the organised private
sector, relevant Federal and State Ministries, Departments and
Agencies, Financial Institutions, Development Partners as well as Educational
Institutions in the agricultural sector to actively
participate through sponsorship, presentation of papers, panel
discussions and exhibition of Cassava derivatives and innovations during the
3day scheduled Conference.
The NQC Chief Executive made the call in his opening
remarks at a meeting of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the
Conference, hosted by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria at its Headquarters
in Abuja over the weekend.
Represented by Mr. Bola Fashina, his Chief of
Staff, the NQC Chief Executive reiterated the need for Nigeria to take
optimum advantage of the opportunity provided by the hosting of
the continental Conference, to leverage on maximum gains from
the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement in
view of the Federal Government’s recent declaration of a state of emergency on
food security.
He commended SON and other LOC members for the hosting of
successive meetings of the Committee as well as valuable contributions towards
ensuring that Nigeria delivers on the Conference successfully.
Earlier in his welcome address, Director General of
the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Mallam Farouk Salim enthused that
Standards play a pivotal role in ensuring quality, safety and competitiveness
of Nigeria's agricultural produce including Cassava and its
derivatives.
According to him, standards provide a solid
foundation for innovation, trade facilitation and consumer protection, while
also enabling market access and enhancing the reputation of the Nation’s
products on the global stage.
Represented by Mrs Abigail Gbonko, Assistant Director,
Product Certification, the SON Chief Executive pointed out that the
Conference being hosted by Nigeria between October 18th and 20th, 2023 in Abuja
holds immense significance for the Nation, as it would bring together
experts, stakeholders and enthusiasts from diverse fields across the Continent
to deliberate on the opportunities and challenges relating to the Cassava value
chain in Africa.
The SON Chief Executive acknowledged the efforts and
commitment of the LOC members towards delivering a
successful programme and commended the African Union Commission (AUC)
and the Pan African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI) for finding Nigeria worthy of
hosting the continental
Conference.
He assured the gathering of SON's commitment towards the
Conference, particularly in ensuring that requisite Nigerian
Industrial Standards are made available for all derivatives of Cassava for
local consumption as well as export.
A presentation of ACC progress report, timelines and
actions were made by the Chief Executive of Abomax Arena
Ltd., the Conference Managers, Ms. Heather-Ronke Akanni, following which
extensive discussions were held by the LOC members.
In his remarks, Country Manager of HarvestPlus
Nigeria, Mr. Yusuf Dollah stated that the Conference would provide an
opportunity for his organisation and others to showcase recent efforts in the
development of the Cassava value chain while also promising full technical
support towards its successful execution. He stressed the need for Nigeria to
have and implement a robust policy on Cassava either on its own or as part of a
general policy on food security in order to fully harness the benefits along
the entire value chain of the crop.
The LOC meeting was attended by representatives of the National Quality Council (NQC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Harvestplus Nigeria and the Nigerian Governor's Forum among others.
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