Japan’s firms to focus on ICT, agro processing

Japanese firms with a focus on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Clean Technologies and Agro-processing are being encouraged by Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar to set up shop at the recently launched Tamana Intech Park in east Trinidad.

The PM invited Japanese firms to do so during bilateral talks with her Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, held in the Octagon Room of the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s late yesterday afternoon.

The talks were the first official business of Abe’s two-day Official Visit to Trinidad and Tobago, following his mid-afternoon arrival in Trinidad yesterday.

Although the approximately hour-long talks were private, the Office of the PM issued a statement afterward about the issues raised.

Apart from the Tamana invitation, which Persad-Bissessar advised Abe would be pursued by Minister of Trade, Industry, Investment and Communications, Vasant Bharath, in discussions with relevant members of the delegation during their stay, the delegations also spoke about the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and both countries’ bids for non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.

The ATT, which establishes international standards for the movement of conventional arms and ammunition across borders, was signed by Japan and TT in 2013.

Yesterday, Persad-Bissessar sought the support of Abe’s administration for this country’s bid to host the ATT Secretariat.

Meanwhile Abe expressed his gratitude to Government for its decision to waive entry visa requirements for Japanese nationals entering the country for business and tourism purposes for a maximum period of 90 days.

During the discussions, Japan’s PM also raised the matter of deepening bilateral relations and requested that Persad-Bissessar consider opening a TT Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. The PM promised to immediately engage in discussions with Foreign Affairs Minister, Winston Dookeran, on this issue.

Persad-Bissessar spoke of the positive impact on the South-Western peninsula with regard to job creation by the introduction of the dimethyl ether (DME) Project, which was established by the Massy Group, the Mitsubishi Corporation, and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical.

The OPM said matters regarding climate change, renewable energy, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), crime and security, triangular co-operation, and the environment were also pursued ahead of the Japan-CARICOM Summit being held today at Hilton Trinidad, Port-of- Spain.

Japan’s PM recognised the role Trinidad and Tobago plays in CARICOM and advised that Japan would host the 4th Japan/CARICOM Foreign Ministers Forum in Tokyo.

Prior to the talks, Abe inspected an honour guard of the TT Air Guard on the grounds of the Diplomatic Centre. This was followed by a private exchange of gifts between himself and Persad-Bissessar. TT’s PM presented Abe with a steel pan while his gift was wrapped in a medium-sized rectangular box. As of press time, the exact details of Abe’s gift to Persad-Bissessar were not known.

By Sasha Harrinanan Monday, July 28 2014

Re-posted from Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday

Nigeria: I'll Deploy ICT to Drive Agric Insurance - NAIC MD

An exclusive interview with the Managing Director of Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Bode Opadokun, identified challenges confronting the organisation, his new road map, top priorities and plans to turn around the fortunes of the only Federal Government owned agricultural insurance company which had become almost "moribund" prior to his assumption of office. Excerpts.

What were some of the problems you met on assuming office four months ago?

I will not call them problems. I will prefer to call them challenges. The challenges have to do with the level of performance of the organisation, when we look at the opportunities that really exist in the sector that we are practising. Yes, it is an insurance sector. We are established to focus more on agricultural insurance. When you look at our level of penetration, prior to my assumption of office, we are still scratching the ground. That really confirms that a lot of opportunities are still untapped. So what I can say is that we have not done as much as we ought to be doing, as at the time of assuming office. That is a major challenge.

To read more, Nigeria: I'll Deploy ICT to Drive Agric Insurance - NAIC MD

Taken from All Africa

AGRA integrates ICT into agriculture to spur productivity

The Alliances for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in partnership with Image-Ad has introduced an Information Communication Technology (ICT) services into agriculture to spur growth and productivity of smallholder farmers in six African countries including Ghana.

The technology uses mobile phones and software that could send SMS and voice messages to farmers about extension services, marketing and all other important messages relating to agriculture to ensure that smallholder farmers achieved increased productivity across the value chain.

As part of the partnership, AGRA under its Market Access Programme has provided $957,475 to Image-Ad for a three-year period to mount this mobile and internet-based software that would link thousands of farmers in Ghana with a wide range of information and services to boost crop yields and to locate buyers to make transactions more transparent. 

Madam Garcia Armelle Chedoi Honvoh, Head of Business Development of Image-AD Ghana, said the project known as mFarms had profiled over 20,000 farmers in Ghana on the platform which allows them to build relationship with marketing agents and other aggregators.

She said farmers accessing mFarms on their phones receive information about good agricultural practices, where to locate agro-dealers and the prices and availability of inputs such as seeds and fertilizers noting that aggregators or Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) uses the platform to extend extension services to farmers.


To read more, AGRA integrates ICT into agriculture to spur productivity


Taken from Business Ghana