Shettima welcomes £250,000 technology donation to drive afforestation

Nigeria is set to partner with the United Kingdom’s Zander Corporation to transform agricultural practices, restore degraded lands in the country, and tackle desertification. This is as Vice President Kashim Shettima said the federal government remains steadfast in its commitment to afforestation as a key strategy in combating desertification, promoting sustainable land use, and ensuring […]

Nigeria is set to partner with the United Kingdom’s Zander Corporation to transform agricultural practices, restore degraded lands in the country, and tackle desertification.

This is as Vice President Kashim Shettima said the federal government remains steadfast in its commitment to afforestation as a key strategy in combating desertification, promoting sustainable land use, and ensuring long-term agricultural productivity.

The vice president stated this on Thursday during a meeting with the management of the bio-technology company led by Lord Raymond Benedict Asquith, the 3rd Earl of Oxford, and Asquith OBE, a member of the UK House of Lords at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Shettima said, “There is a critical intersection between innovative technology and efforts at combating desertification and agricultural transformation in this country.

“As a nation committed to afforestation and sustainable land use, we recognise the value of partnerships that introduce cutting-edge technologies like those from Zander Corporation.”

As part of the collaboration, Zander Corporation has donated £250,000 worth of afforestation technology products to Nigeria.

Shettima however noted the need to maximise the potential of the five-hectare pilot project, suggesting diversification into vegetable production and tree crops such as cashew, which has a high global demand.

“We are in a unique position to take advantage of this opportunity. I want to assure you and your team of the federal government’s support. Sokoto State has already demonstrated commitment, and I believe that Borno and Katsina governments will also embrace this initiative,” the vice president said.

Shettima acknowledged Lord Oxford’s commitment to training Nigerian agronomists in best practices for implementing the technology, adding that “There is an incestuous relationship between ecology and economy in the northern part of this country. This innovative technology by Zander Corporation can be our saving grace.”

Speaking earlier, Lord Oxford reaffirmed Zander Corporation’s dedication to Nigeria’s agricultural transformation, explaining that the company has been in the country for over 12 years.

“We have made a donation of our products to Nigeria for deployment in several northern states to demonstrate our capabilities and the remarkable results that can be achieved in agricultural and environmental projects,” he said.

He explained that the organisation had recorded successes in desert states such as Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Libya, and Southern Spain, where its technology has significantly reduced irrigation costs and established sustainable vegetation in arid soils.