VENTURES AFRICA (Press Release) – Experts drawn from the local, continental and international agricultural industry will converge in Lagos this week to discuss sustainability in agriculture for national development in a Thought Leadership Breakfast Series on Sustainable Development tagged, Sustainable Conversations™.

The theme for the second in this series is: Driving Sustainable Agriculture for National Development; and it will bring Nigeria’s agricultural sector under the spotlight with a critical review of past successes in agriculture through comparative analysis with modern innovations with emphasis on economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Sustainable Conversations™ is a Thought Leadership series on sustainable development and seeks to significantly access the roadmap to this auspicious revival by creating a platform for promoting discussions and thought leadership for national development through sustainable agriculture. Also expected in attendance are policy makers, experts and stakeholders in the sector and allied industries with an underlying aim of engaging, understanding, interrogating and supporting the road-map towards achieving the current national policies on Agriculture.

Confirmed discussants include:  Zano Mataruka, Head Agribusiness, International Finance Corporation; Onajite Okoloko, Group Managing Director/CEO, Notore Chemical Industries; Larry Umuna, West Africa Representative, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition; Lucy Kanu, Executive Director of Idea Builders Initiative and Mr. Rasheed Sarumi, Founder of SARO Group. The discussions will be moderated by an International Agric Expert, Mr. Alex Aligbe.

Sustainable agriculture describes systems in which the farmer reaches the goal of producing adequate yields and good profits following production practices that minimize any negative short-and long-term side effects on the environment and the well-being of the community. The major goals of this approach are thus to develop economically viable agro-ecosystems as well as enhance the quality of the environment, so that farmlands will remain productive indefinitely. Sustainable agriculture has become a necessity in a world with increasingly limited resources.

At the end of the event, a resource document will be produced and forwarded to the Federal Government through the Ministry for Agriculture and also widely circulated for concerted efforts at achieving the discussed objectives for National development.

This edition is facilitated by ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited, in partnership with the Etisalat CSR Centre at the Lagos Business School. Attendance and participation at Sustainable Conversations™ is strictly by invitation and subject to confirmation.

The Concept Note for this event issued by the organisers puts forward that, ‘Agriculture was once the main stay and key driver of the Nigerian economy. Virtually, all regions of Nigeria were noted for commercial scale production of one main agricultural product or cash crop. From the cotton industry and the groundnut pyramids of the North, to the cocoa plantations in the South-west and oil palm products and rubber plantations of the South; Nigeria’s agricultural potential and yield attracted trade, growth and development from the rest of the continent and beyond whilst strengthening the economy and providing employment to a majority of the population. However, with increased modernization, industrialization and the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities in Nigeria, the focus shifted away from agriculture and a gradual yet steady deterioration followed in line with the neglect of the sector in search of oil-based revenue.

The current administration has through the Transformation Agenda placed priority on reviving the Agriculture sector towards repositioning and substantial investment to attain sustainable development.  There has been an increased consciousness about the need to revive Nigeria’s agricultural sector and this can be seen as a response to the increased awareness of the non-renewability of our fast-depleting petroleum resources’.

For more information, send a mail to: [email protected] or [email protected].

 

ABOUT ETISALAT CSR CENTRE

The Etisalat CSR Centre of Lagos Business School, Pan-African University was launched in 2010 in partnership with Etisalat Nigeria Ltd. The centre the first of its kind in Nigeria is dedicated to assisting organizations create lasting value through responsible business strategies and productive stakeholder relationships through research, training and advocacy in CSR. Ultimately, the Centre aims to improve the state of CSR knowledge, practice and development in Nigeria and Africa through research, hands-on teaching and public forums.

Positioned to facilitate the understanding of the CSR concept through knowledge creation in the areas of corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, business ethics and work life balance; the centre carries out research and the development of case studies as well as disseminates information through seminars and workshops in these areas in MBA and Executive programmes.

The centre also offers research and advisory Services focused on helping companies develop CSR frameworks, policy and strategy, and establish CSR structures and performance indicators. The Centre is lead by Sir Chris Ogbechie, a Management Strategy expert, and one time Director of Marketing/Sales at Nestle Nigeria. Etisalat CSR Centre also has other administrative and research staff, and an advisory board made up of leading academics and non academics who are experts in the social space.

 

ABOUT THISTLEPRAXIS CONSULTING

ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited is a registered assessments and strategy Management Consultancy based in Nigeria with core interests and expertise in Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CSR). At ThistlePraxis, we are committed to assisting organisations and enterprises create, define and manage their Sustainability needs as well as other management concerns.  We apply our extensive knowledge to help companies devise and implement strategies to the benefit of all significant stakeholders over the long term. With the entire economy in transformation, companies and institutions need to realign their brands, products and services to cater for new requirements from evolving markets.

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