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Benin Republic has sought the assistance of Nigeria in its bid to grow rice in the country.
Already, a delegation from the country had met with top Nigerian government officials on how to go about the mission.
A delegation from Benin Republic met with the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the presidential villa, Abuja, yesterday evening, to gain from Nigeriaâs experience in reviving rice production.
The Beninoise delegation, which was led by the countryâs Minister of Agriculture, Gaston Cossi Dossouhoui, was led to the villa by Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed.
Buhari, Emefiele spark Nigeria’s rice revolution
On
By Jackson Ugbechie
The recent celebration of the 5th anniversary of the Anchor Borrowers Programme, ABP, in Kebbi State by the Federal Government spearheaded by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, was a breath of fresh air. President Muhammadu Buhari must have gushed with joy by reason of the event witnessed by many governors and members of the international community.
A major component of the anniversary was the launch of the 2020 wet season harvest aggregation and 2021 dry season input distribution under the CBN-Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, RIFAN, Anchor Borrowers Programme.
Stakeholders in rice farming in Nigeria were also in the meeting.
Bagudu, who is the Chairman, Presidential Taskforce on Rice and Wheat Production, said that the Republic of Benin was impressed with Nigeria’s strides in rice production and was eager to tap from it.
“This is a delegation from Benin Republic led the Minister of Finance, including the ministers of Trade and Investment, Agriculture, Water and Mining and Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria.
“We met with the Chief of Staff to the President and this is to progress discussions which have been going on between Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria and Benin Republic in order for the two countries to work together towards replicating the successes achieved in Nigeria’s rice programme in Benin.
The Pension Reform Act 2004 was one of the most important legislations of the last two decades. It completely transformed, the then, stagnant pension industry that catered for only a minority of employees into a vibrant and growing industry for all Nigerians. From modest beginnings in 2005, the industry has grown to be an important driver of savings and investments in Nigeria, with positive impact on jobs and economic growth.
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The Pension Reform Act 2004 introduced the Contributory Pension Scheme under which both employer and employee contribute to the employee’s pension. The Pension Reform Act 2004 was subsequently repealed by the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA 2014), which introduced a number of improvements such as increasing the contribution from 15% to 18% of employees’ salaries. The Act covers both public and private sector employees. However, most States are yet to commence full implementation of their own pension laws that conform with PRA 2014.