NIRSAL unveils phone learning platform for farmers

It inaugurated the NIRSAL Farmers’ Business School in partnership with Successory Nigeria Limited and MTN Nigeria in Abuja, saying the initiative was in line with the agency’s mandate on technical assistance to farmers.

Aliyu Abdulhameed, managing director, NIRSAL Plc, said the NBFS would provide convenient training on good agricultural practices to Nigeria’s smallholders seeking improved access to vital information critical to the success of primary production cycles.

Abdulhameed,  stated that through the partnership, the training would provide support mechanisms that plug information gaps, boost entrepreneurial capacities and improve access to commercial finance.

He, however, allayed concerns that the platform might be too sophisticated and expensive for some rural farmers to use.

According to him, the  pre-design research and situational analyses took such concerns into account; hence, the product was a multi-language, offline on-the-go platform that could be accessed via any mobile phone.

The MD NIRSAL stressed that the cost of subscription to the service was very minute, as parties in the partnership took cognisance of the financial ability of farmers to subscribe for the training.

“The platform is important to NIRSAL Plc, its owners – the CBN, the Federal Government, banks, and other investors in agricultural primary production, as it will promote the inclusion of farmers in the use of ICT and limit physical classroom engagements in line with the new normal,” Abdulhameed added.

He highlighted that the platform was also of great value for NIRSAL’s officials in the field who had been wading through towns, villages and bushes to perform their training and capacity building assignments.

Adekunle Adebiyi, chief sales distribution officer of MTN Nigeria, said the telecommunications company was a natural collaborator in initiatives that meaningfully connected, informed and educated Nigerians.

Adebiyi, added that MTN’s network connectivity in Nigeria would serve as the conduit for a continuous and cost-effective interaction between NIRSAL Plc and farmers, which would lead to improved productivity and earnings across board.