With a view to complementing government’s effort at revamping Nigeria’s economy through diversification of the economy, the 2nd Edition of Afe Babalola Food Security Expo (ABAFEX) 2016 holds between October 10 and 13 in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

The maiden edition held last year, described by many as ‘first of its kind in Nigeria’ was declared open by the state Governor, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose. It attracted visitors and exhibitors from far and near.

This year’s edition shall feature a CBN backed Entrepreneurship Scheme boot camp set to train school leavers, individuals and fresh graduates as Agro Service Providers, with long term goal to create thousands of Jobs and become employers of labour across the sector’s value chain.

In his speech at the Expo, Governor Fayose commended the initiative and foresight of the organisers and challenged citizens of the state to compliment efforts of his government to make life easy while pledging total support for the NGO co-hosting the event.

The goal of ABAFEX is to encourage and build local capacities in food production, wealth creation and intervention, using a pilot model that will parade farmers from all 16 LGAs in Ekiti State and beyond who will contest for a sum of N5 million cash prize and an overall best winner who will smile home with N1 million cash.

The four-day annual expo, aside providing ample networking opportunities for farmers and allied initiatives, will also feature general agric talks, cultural display, sales of highly discounted food items, innovations/awards and other programmes.

In a media chat in Abuja recently, the Expo Technical Partner, Mr. Caleb Osasona, Executive Director of Initiative For Green Sustainability, a non-governmental body co-hosting the Expo, extolled the lofty vision and magnanimity of Aare Afe Babalola as sole sponsor of the event. He called on socially responsible corporate bodies and elites in the society to tow his line, if the current socio-economic challenges is to become history.

In a related development, Osasona described the poor perception of farming by youths in Africa as very worrisome and therefore, advocated that agriculture, as a curriculum, be made compulsory at all levels of education in the country, regardless of area of concentration. He then warned of the grave consequences of a looming food crisis, if aging farmers are not replaced by young, virile players in the sector.

Osasona also said the current ‘go back to the farm’ campaign may be seen as another fluke by already cynical young people, if in this globalised age, farming as a vocation is packaged to them as ‘a cutlass and hoe’ venture.

His words: “It is now imperative and not an option that commercial agriculture, henceforth, be passed into law as main thrust as replacement of CDS during the one-year National Youth Service in order to entrench ‘green thinking’ into the psyche of youths.”

The five-day maiden edition of ABAFEX held October 5-9, 2015 at the expansive Sports Pavilion of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti saw the city agog with pomp and funfair.

The entire university community was in a celebration mood when the Founder/Chancellor and Life Patron of ABAFEX, Aare Afe Babalola, breezed in, accompanied by members of Board of Trustees, Council, Senate and other members of the university community.

Other stakeholders at the event included the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), National Technology Incubation Centre (NTIC), traditional rulers, women groups delegates from civil societies, Union Bank, Skye Bank, Agro-allied Cooperative and Trade Union, Aqua-culturists, Livestock Farmers, Cotton growers, Cassava growers, Farmers Congress, Associations of Ebira, Igbo and Hausa communities and no less than 53 exhibitors.

A grand prize of N5 million was contested for and won by the 16 farmers with the star cash prize of N1 million clinched by an Overall Best Winner in strict compliance with a screening process for accreditation which included amongst others, On-site Bio metric Verification (OBV), size of farmland in hectares, impact on host community, Bio-diversification and need/indigence ratio.

This initiative for green sustainability is saddled with mentoring and monitoring beneficiary farmers. The expected multiplier effect is geared toward wealth creation, unemployment, and reduction of poverty from the current 43.1 percent to at least three percent average.

•Photo shows ABAFEX Technical Partner, Caleb Osasona.

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