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Tomato Jos Receives $1.2 Million Support From USAID

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Tomato Jos Receives $1.2 Million Support From USAID-Crystal News

Tomato Jos, Nigerian agro-processing company focused on the local production and processing of tomatoes has diversified its operations venturing into the grains sector.

Under the new move, the private equity-backed, fast-growing social enterprise is seeking to boost the productivity, incomes, and resilience of maize and soybean smallholder farmers in northern Nigeria’s Kaduna State.

The company has received a N494 million (US$1.2 million) co-investment grant from the USAID-funded West Africa Trade & Investment Hub (Trade Hub) to facilitate the venture.

According to Trade Hub, Kaduna State is home to approximately 1.3 million farming families, many of whom farm both maize and soybean, two of Nigeria’s staple crops.

However, domestic production of these grains is failing to meet the high market demand because of several limitations faced by farmers, including outdated farming techniques, limited awareness of the market’s quality demand, and a lack of funds to improve their farming practices.

To address these challenges, Tomato Jos will leverage its grant and approximately N3.3 billion (US$8 million) of private funds to launch a 3-year maize and soybean out grower project in northern Nigeria.

The project will benefit 4,000 smallholder farmers who will work as out growers (also known as contract farmers) with Tomato Jos. Sixty percent of the out growers will be women and at least 40 percent youth.

“Leveraging private investments to finance smallholder farmers is key to driving inclusive economic growth in Northern Nigeria,” says Mira Mehta, founder of Tomato Jos. “We are proud to partner with the Trade Hub on this innovative project.”

The 4,000 smallholders will be trained on modern farming techniques to ensure their crops’ quality and increase their productivity.

Tomato Jos Receives $1.2 Million Ssupport From USAID

As many smallholders currently lack the capital to fully run their farm, loans will also be offered. These loans, combined with a guaranteed offtake of the crops through Tomato Jos, will provide a much-needed financial backstop to the smallholders, particularly for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through these efforts, smallholders’ will be able to produce 3,600 metric tons of maize by the third year of the project, and 400 metric tons of soybean.

The co-investment will also be used to assist Tomato Jos in improving its operations and productivity.

The company will expand its storage capacity for grains, source improved inputs for greater yields, and increase its model farm and out grower programs to cover more locations for maize and soybean farming.

Tomato Jos will also develop its mobile and cloud technology platforms for data capturing, farm monitoring, and improved communication.

“Nigeria has seen its outputs of maize and soybean decline in recent years and efforts to counter this have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thus, it is vital to assist companies such as Tomato Jos to help farmers increase production of these two staple crops and support food security,” says Karl Littlejohn, Acting Chief of Party for the Trade Hub.

The Trade Hub’s partnership with Tomato Jos builds on its other recently launched partnerships in Nigeria, such as ones with PYXERA Global and Thrive Agric, also focused on increased maize and soybean production.

The financial backing comes a year after the agribusiness firm, completed its US$4.2m Series A funding round led by Goodwell Investments, via its West Africa partner Alitheia Capital with participation from Acumen Capital Partners and VestedWorld.

The funding was channelled towards spearheading its transition to the next stage of growth which will entail the processing and distribution of tomato products.

Tomato Jos’ growth plans include the installation of a drip irrigation system and a processing plant that can produce 24 tons of finished products per day.

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It’s 7 Star Performance for Chain Reactions at 2024 SABRE Awards

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It was a seven-star performance for Chain Reactions Africa (CRA), one of Africa’s leading Public Relations and Integrated Communications Consultancy as it took home seven African SABRE trophies, more than any other public relations firm in Africa in the 2024 competition.
The awards which were held at the end of the annual African Public Relations Association (APRA) Conference, were presented by Provoke Media, organisers of the awards in Basam, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivore on May 16th 2024.
The work covered campaigns for the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), and its Lagos Blue Rail, 9mobile’s The Hack – Expand Your Hustle’, ‘Taming the Bull’ for the Presidency, ‘Next Era of Happiness’ for leading biscuit company, Pladis Foods Nigeria Limited.
Receiving the awards on behalf of Chain Reactions and its clients, was its Managing Director/Chief Strategist, Israel Opayemi, who noted that this is a seven-star performance by Chain Reactions Africa at the 2024 SABRE Awards.
In his comments Opayemi said “to emerge as the highest winner at the 2024 edition of the award with seven SABRE Awards is humbling as well as exciting for us at Chain Reactions Africa. We are immensely proud to be honoured on such a global platform like the SABRE awards which is the holy grail of Public Relations globally as the awards programme is dedicated to benchmarking the best PR works across the globe.”
He continued, “I am making a three-fold dedication of these multiple trophies to our clients who believe in us, my team members who do the brave works relentlessly and our dear country Nigeria. Ten years ago, we were at the SABRE Awards in Miami, Florida in the United States watching and applauding as winners took turn on stage. Ten years ago, we were asking for a seat at the table. Today, we are sitting in creative resplendence at the head of the table. Today, we are flying the Nigerian flag on the global stage. We are now a territory of reckon and relevance in the global PR space.”
It seems winning awards is just a Chain Reactions thing, chuckled Arun Sudhaman CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Provoke Media, organizers of the SABRE Awards as Opayemi rose up seven times to receive the awards. The PR consultancy also picked up four Certificates of Excellence in recognition of its work launching the Nigerian Youth Trend Report 2024 known as ‘ARAMANDA’, ‘Next Era of Happiness’, ‘Lagos Blue Rail’, ‘The Hack – Expand Your Hustle’, and ‘Taming the Bull’.
In his reaction, President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) described the awards by Chain Reactions Africa as “a harvest of honours for Nigeria”. He thanked the Chain Reactions Africa team for their outstanding works saying, “thank you for making us proud.”
Chain Reactions Africa has over the years won several prestigious SABRE awards and has been awarded more than 15 Certificates of Excellence. At last year’s award, the company won CEO of the Year category for the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for use of public relations to tell the story of his administration’s achievements and scooped two Certificates of Excellence in the Corporate Image category for the ‘Momentum Campaign’ for Cellulant, a flagship payment solution provider; and ‘Marketing to Consumers’ category for ‘The #NaijaHighlandah Campaign’ for William Lawson’s, Scotch Whiskey brand.
The 2024 Africa SABRE Awards shortlist included more than 120 campaigns, selected from over 500 entries in this year’s competition, which recognises Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation and Engagement. The campaigns were evaluated by a jury of industry leaders.

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Abuja Investments Company Limited Launches Automated System

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In a significant stride toward modernization and efficiency, Ambassador Maureen P. Tamuno, Group Managing Director and CEO of Abuja Investments Company Limited (AICL) has unveiled an Automated Tollgate System for streamlining access control, security enhancement, and facilitation of smoother operations in Garki Ultra -Modern Market in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to Fatima Nadada, Head of Communications, AICL, the automated system will among other things provide: Smart Access Control; also, the new system employs cutting-edge technology to regulate entry and exit at the market gates by ensuring that only authorized individuals can access the premises.

“In addition, there is room for real-time monitoring of activities as market administrators can monitor activities at the gates in real time, allowing for prompt responses to any anomalies or security breaches.

 “Also, the system collects data on foot traffic, peak hours, and patterns. Thus, enabling informed decision-making by the management of the market, as well as efficient revenue collection, since it will improve automated payment processing, simplifies fee collection, reduce paperwork and enhance transparency.”

In her remarks at the event, Ambassador Tamuno expressed enthusiasm on the milestone and was optimistic that the automated system would not only empower market stakeholders but contribute to the growth of FCT’s economy.

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Bigi Carbonated Soft Drinks Treats 40 Consumers to an Epic Easter Movie Hangout

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Reinforcing her commitment to a delightful consumer experience, Bigi Carbonated Soft Drinks, a leading brand from Rite Foods Limited, hosted 40 lucky fans to an impressive Easter celebration. This exciting Easter movie hangout took place at Silverbird Cinemas, Ikeja City Mall, Lagos, and featured a screening of the movie, “Beast of Two Worlds (Ajakaju)”.

The movie’s portrayal of traditional Nigerian society alongside its thrilling plot left the Bigi consumers thoroughly entertained. After the movie, the fans received exciting freebies and expressed their gratitude to the Bigi brand for this special Easter treat.

Biola Aransiola, Assistant Brand Manager, Bigi, commented on the event, highlighting Bigi’s dedication to showing appreciation to their consumers. “This movie hangout served as a way to celebrate Easter with our loyal fans and provide them with a truly extraordinary experience, all while enjoying the refreshing and diverse range of 13 Bigi flavours,” Aransiola stated.

Bigi Carbonated Soft Drinks has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to consumer well-being. The brand actively connects with its audience by creating opportunities to fulfill their dreams and offering refreshment throughout their journeys. Bigi’s dedication to its consumers is further solidified through sponsorships of various initiatives, earning them prestigious awards such as the “Most Innovative Carbonated Soft Drink Brand of the Year” (2023), “Friendly Brand of the Year” (2023), and “Best Value for Money-Carbonated Soft Drink Brand” (2023), among others

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