Connect with us

Business

IFAD VCDP Issues Urgent Warning Over Harmful Farm Chemical Use in Niger

Published

on

IFAD

Niger farm chemical misuse warning issued as IFAD VCDP cautions farmers on unsafe chemical use and roadside food drying risks affecting public health

adron lemon friday

The Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in Niger State has issued a strong warning to farmers over the excessive and improper use of agricultural chemicals, citing growing health risks to consumers.

Also read: Dalung Issues Fierce Warning Over Tinubu 2027 Battle

Critical warning issued was delivered during a sensitisation and advocacy campaign held in Doko, Lavun Local Government Area, focused on discouraging roadside drying of food products and promoting safer food handling practices.

State Business, Marketing and Development Officer of the VCDP, Mrs Elizabeth Yisa, expressed concern that despite repeated awareness campaigns, some farmers continue to misuse chemicals, often applying quantities far above recommended levels in an attempt to accelerate crop growth.

She warned that such practices leave harmful residues in food products even after processing, describing the situation as a serious public health concern.

According to her, unsafe storage and roadside drying of food items further expose consumers to contamination risks, urging farmers to adopt approved methods and hygienic processing environments.

She specifically advised cassava processors to properly fry garri rather than depend on open roadside drying.

Medical concerns were also raised by Nurse Leah Yisa of the IBB Specialist Hospital, Minna, who warned that prolonged exposure to contaminated food and excessive chemical residues could contribute to severe illnesses, including cancers such as leukaemia and lung cancer.

She stressed that harmful substances accumulate in the body over time, posing long-term health threats that are often difficult to reverse.

Religious leaders who attended the programme, including Pastor David G. and Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, pledged to spread the message within their respective communities, urging greater awareness of safe food handling practices.

Farmers present at the event also acknowledged the risks associated with exposing food to unhygienic environments, calling for the revival of local sanitation enforcement teams to ensure compliance with proper food processing standards.

Also read: Tinubu Visits Adamawa, Roads Closed for Public Reception

The programme is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen food safety across agricultural value chains in the state.

66 / 100 SEO Score

Business

Cement costs more in Nigeria than Kenya, Togo, FCCPC finds

Published

on

FCCPC

Cement price manipulation is under investigation by the FCCPC after a three-month study found Nigerian prices were high despite surplus capacity

(more…)

adron lemon friday

71 / 100 SEO Score
Continue Reading

Business

Heirs Life Names Pastor Jerry Eze Independent Non-Executive Director

Published

on

Heirs

Heirs Life appoints Jerry Eze as an Independent Non-Executive Director to strengthen financial inclusion, consumer trust and insurance adoption (more…)

75 / 100 SEO Score
Continue Reading

Business

Shoreline Group secures US$200 million Afreximbank Facility

Published

on

By

Shoreline Group today announced that African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has approved a US$200 million facility in favour of Shoreline Power Company Limited and co-borrowers including Arkad S.p.A., Shoreline’s majority-owned engineering and construction platform.
Approved in June 2026, the facility was arranged and provided by Afreximbank as sole mandated lead arranger and lender. It provides bonding and working-capital capacity for Arkad’s delivery of the Hassi Bir Rekaiz project and supports Shoreline and its affiliates in developing further pipeline and infrastructure
projects in Nigeria and other permitted jurisdictions.
“This is a defining transaction for Shoreline and Arkad. We built Arkad as an African- sponsored engineering platform capable of competing at the highest level, and it is now delivering against a billion-dollar energy contract. Afreximbank’s US$200 million commitment gives the platform the financial strength to match its engineering capability and pursue further major infrastructure mandates. It demonstrates that African enterprises can assemble the capital, capability and partnerships required to compete for infrastructure at international scale.”
Hassi Bir Rekaiz Phase 2a Arkad holds 44 per cent of the approximately US$1 billion EPCCS-1 contract awarded by Groupement
Hassi Bir Rekaiz (GHBR) to an unincorporated consortium led by Egypt’s Petrojet, which holds 56 percent. EPCCS-1 covers engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and start-up for the Phase 2a central processing facility and related infrastructure at the Hassi Bir Rekaiz field in Algeria’s Berkine
Basin.
GHBR is the joint operating entity for the licence, held by Sonatrach with 51 per cent and Thailand’s PTTEP with 49 per cent. The project includes a new crude oil processing facility with capacity of 31,500 barrels per day, facilities for associated gas and produced-water treatment, approximately 217 kilometres
of pipelines and the brownfield modifications required to integrate existing Phase 1 infrastructure.
The facilities are designed to support later expansion to 63,000 barrels per day under Phase 2b.
“This financing addresses the instruments that determine whether an EPC contractor can execute at scale: performance guarantees, advance payment guarantees and working capital through the project cycle. Hassi Bir Rekaiz is a demanding scope, combining a new central processing facility, associated treatment systems, pipelines and brownfield integration. With Petrojet, and with the support of Shoreline and Afreximbank, Arkad is focused on disciplined delivery against the project’s safety, quality and schedule requirements.”
The transaction was structured under Afreximbank’s Engineering, Procurement and Construction Initiative, which supports African engineering and construction firms with the financial instruments required to compete for and execute large infrastructure contracts. Afreximbank also supported the Arkad-Petrojet partnership through its EPC twinning work at the Intra-African Trade Fair held in Algiers
in 2025.
According to Afreximbank, the transaction is its first support for a Sub-Saharan African contractor undertaking a major infrastructure project in North Africa. For Shoreline, it demonstrates a practical model for combining African ownership and capital with established international engineering andindustrial capability.

adron lemon friday

41 / 100 SEO Score
Continue Reading

Trending News