Updated: 17/2/2021
TWO ARTICLES
Nigeria is poised to leverage on the recent launch of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) for its Agricultural and Halal food products with its public-private partnership with OneAgrix, a global B2B Agriculture and Halal marketplace. This will enable the country to gain better market access by using OneAgrix’s trading platform both regionally and globally.
With the implementation of the AfCFTA, countries in the African continent can increase their intra-continent trade by reducing trade barriers, especially for their agri-food products, which will enable them to improve their food security. Food security is an issue that has been highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic with more countries looking to diversify their food sources.
In tandem with the commencement of the AfCFTA, Dr. Noel Akpata has launched a Nigeria Feeds the World Initiative, that will economically empower the country’s smallholder farmers, and small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). This will allow those in the agri-food sector to access markets within the continent and beyond, especially markets that cater to Halal consumers. All this is made possible through the OneAgrix marketplace platform which is the country’s official technology and platform partner under this initiative.
The Nigeria Feeds the World Initiative is a pilot program that will showcase what Africa has to offer to the world and the Halal market. The platform will help Africa to realise the economic opportunity in its agricultural sector, via an integrated market under the AfCFTA in an expedient and efficient manner.
“Under the AfCFTA, a centralised digital trading platform, a marketplace, that increases connectivity, trade exposure as well as solves logistics and payment issues, is required. OneAgrix is this trading platform. We have partnered with the International Trade Centre (ITC) which is a joint mandate between the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation, to facilitate and increase African countries’ participation in the global market,” said Diana Sabrain, CEO and co-founder of OneAgrix.
“OneAgrix and Nigeria Feeds the World Initiative will bridge the connection between African suppliers and international buyers,” she further adds.
Nigeria is well positioned as it is the largest economy in the African continent, as well as a member of the African Union, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
In addition, the Nigerian government stresses on the importance of their food quality, by being an African pioneer in food traceability. With improvements in their food quality production, and via food traceability systems, Nigeria is hoping to access the European and Middle Eastern Halal markets. More importantly this opportunity is available to smallholders and farmers which can be a game changer for them.
The AfCFTA matters to the Islamic economy chiefly because 28 of the 55 member states of the African Union are also part of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Whether or not they have ratified the AfCFTA, this enormous initiative will have an impact on trade for the continent as a whole.
The potential of this partnership is that more African smallholders and farmers will offer value added products which is a feature that is already available with OneAgrix’s platform. It is well documented by empirical studies that profitability for smallholders increases significantly when they venture into value added products from the commodity that they produce.
The combined use of the latest technologies, such as IoT, blockchain, serialisation, and food forensics on OneAgrix’s technology ecosystem enable farm to fork supply-chain traceability. All these features ensure the highest standards for food safety and quality are offered. What OneAgrix has to offer is more than just a marketplace, it provides logistics support for market access.
“This partnership was made possible by the support of Dr. Noel Akpata, founder of the Nigeria Feeds the World Initiative, Chairman of Horasis Nigerian Economic Development Council, Shamsudeen Usman , the government of Nigeria, the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum, Nigeria Agribusiness Group, Chairman of Horasis, Dr. Frank-Jürgen Richter and many others who are working hard behind the scenes,” Ms. Sabrain, concludes.
About OneAgrix
OneAgrix is the world’s first B2B e-commerce marketplace for Agricultural and Halal food products with supply-chain traceability. Through a revolutionary digital platform, we eliminate costly middle-men through an end-to-end supply chain, seamlessly connecting buyers and suppliers in a singular customer journey and creating one ecosystem that serves the world’s Muslims as well as health-conscious consumers.
Contact Email for OneAgrix: dolphin@oneagrix.com
About Nigeria Feeds The World Initiative
Nigeria Feeds the World Initiative is set to competitively position Nigerian Agricultural and Halal food products for global markets. On the 30th of October 2020 at the Presidential Villa, the President of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) hosted the Founder of Nigeria Feeds the World initiative, Dr. Noel Akpata, and the Chairman of Horasis, Dr. Frank Jurgen Richter alongside the Chairman of Horasis in Nigeria, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Key members of the Federal Executive Council.
The President endorsed the activities of Horasis in Nigeria and its request to build its regional hub in Nigeria and setup its intervention initiatives within the Africa region. Horasis is one of the world’s largest international think tanks which brings some of the world’s business and political leaders together to develop and implement critical solutions relevant to moving the world forward. The Horasis-Nigeria Economic Development Council created as a result of this endorsement by President Buhari has given birth to this agricultural and halal sector-focused initiative to connect Nigeria to the world within a secure and globally accepted platform.
Nigeria Feeds the World Initiative (NFWI) is a collaborative launch of Nigeria’s debut on the world’s ONLY agricultural and Halal e-commerce solution integrating both Blockchain and supply chain traceability to verify agricultural and Halal certificates as well as food origin and guaranteed off-takers built by OneAgrix. Nigeria Feeds the World Initiative would also focus on developing the export readiness capacity for agribusiness practitioners and the creation of globally certified farms across the country.
Contact Email for Nigeria Feeds the World Initiative: noel@drnoelakpata.com
ARTICLE TWO
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