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In a move to boost agricultural productivity and restore degraded lands, Nigeria has entered into a strategic partnership with the United Kingdom-based Zander Corporation.
As part of this collaboration, Zander Corporation has donated £250,000 worth of afforestation technology to support land rehabilitation in vulnerable ecological zones.
The partnership was announced during a high-level meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, attended by Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima and Lord Raymond Benedict Asquith, the 3rd Earl of Oxford and a member of the UK House of Lords.
Vice President Shettima underscored the federal government’s commitment to leveraging innovative technology to address desertification and transform the agricultural sector.
He highlighted the importance of diversifying the initiative’s five-hectare pilot project to include vegetable cultivation and high-value crops such as cashews.
“We are ready to maximize this opportunity, and I assure you of the federal government’s full support,” Shettima said.
He also emphasized the direct benefits the project would bring to communities affected by land degradation, particularly in northern states like Borno, Katsina, and Sokoto.
Lord Raymond Benedict Asquith, leading the Zander Corporation delegation, reiterated the company’s long-standing commitment to Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.
He cited successful implementations of Zander’s afforestation technology in desert-prone regions such as Saudi Arabia, North Africa, and Southern Spain, which have significantly reduced irrigation costs and improved agricultural sustainability.
“Nigeria is well-positioned to benefit from the same innovative solutions that have already transformed landscapes in arid regions across the world,” Lord Asquith stated. He also revealed that Zander Corporation plans to establish a local manufacturing base in Nigeria to reduce costs and create employment opportunities.
Director-General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, Saleh Abubakar, confirmed that a five-hectare pilot project was already underway, with the goal of directly benefiting communities affected by desertification.
The meeting was attended by several dignitaries, including the Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Dr. Idris Gobir, and Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture and Food Security.
