Browsing: Agriculture

Côte d’Ivoire’s economy remains on a favourable trajectory. The economy needs bolstering to expedite the structural change of its economy as envisioned by the new 2030 plan. To achieve this, the nation needs to raise its investments in new sectors with considerable potential for wealth generation and improvement in quality of life. These sectors would enable the inclusion and realisation of benefits for women and the most disadvantaged populations in society, especially those residing in the most isolated rural areas.…

In the months of May to July, Ololung’a market in Narok County has always been a busy spot with various agricultural activities happening in this maize-producing area. However, this year, everything seems relaxed and just a few tractors are packed by the roadside.

The rains have not been as promising and stretches of farms lie idle, un-ploughed. Pareiyo Oloomunyak, has always planted maize on his 17-acre farm. However, this year, he has reduced the area under production as the cost of ploughing and farm inputs has almost doubled.

He expects a reduced harvest but also prays for better payments from the sales he will make. He purchased a reduced number of bags of fertilizer which he sparingly applied to his farm against the advice of agricultural experts. “You find us using less fertilizer than recommended because we still want our crops to have a little boost, and maybe supplement with …

This year’s progress has been threatened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused a global economic shock that has hit Africa at a time when the government’s policy space to respond to it is small to nonexistent.…

The world largely considers Africa as the next great growth market, a designation that has persisted for years. There are several reasons to be optimistic: the African continent has some of the world’s youngest populations, promises to be a key consuming market over the next three decades, and is becoming more mobile phone-enabled. Because access to smartphones and other devices improves consumer information, networking, job-creating resources, and even financial inclusion, a rising digital ecosystem is especially important as a multiplier of heightened economic growth.…

As far as where to put money is concerned, Kenya has numerous investment sectors with tremendous potential. The prospective stability and economic recovery expected under the new administration will no doubt make way for the realization of huge money investments in the countries.…

According to Statista, agriculture contributes at least 4% of the annual value added to the gross domestic product of Brazil. It accounts for at least 9% of the people who are employed and able to work. On the face of it reading numbers 4% and 9% seem like they are nominal until one considers the sheer size of the country of Brazil in terms of land mass. Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world in terms of land area. It sits on no less than 8.5 million square kilometres.

Of this land mass, approximately a third is used for agriculture. For perspective’s sake, Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, and the United States. The Brazilian Report states that all the countries that make up the European Union would fit inside Brazil’s borders!

To bring the perspective much closer to home, …

Zambia has dealt with the legacy of years of economic mismanagement, with an especially inefficient public investment drive.  Zambia has been in debt distress. Therefore, the country needed a deep and comprehensive debt treatment to place public debt on a sustainable path.…

Smartphone adoption in Africa remained sluggish in the latter part of the last decade. This is beginning to change as a combination of pandemic-driven demand for better connectivity and improved affordability of smartphones drive uptake.

According to a report by GSAM, by the end of 2020, 495 million people subscribed to mobile services in Africa, representing 46 per cent of the region’s population, an increase of almost 20 million in 2019.  It is estimated that 615 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will subscribe to mobile services by 2025, equivalent to 50 per cent of the region’s population.

• Utilizing the development of mobile digital technologies can assist farmers in gaining access to essential data and information needed to solve certain farming management systems and underlying constraints.
• It is estimated that 615 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will subscribe to mobile services by 2025, equivalent to 50 per cent of the

Ruto’s bottom-up economics plan, as described in his manifesto, appealed to the electorate all over the country. The high cost of living and the rising commodity prices have mainly caused despair and hopelessness among those at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

Ruto’s promises, if realised, might give significant relief from poverty and insecurity, notwithstanding the current catastrophic drought, weak institutions, and worldwide economic instability.

Ruto’s victory is thrilling for the most vulnerable members of Kenyan society. Still, if the incoming president fails to deliver on his campaign promises, political confidence will be difficult to regain, and social unrest will likely occur in the long term.…

The World Bank estimated the value added in Gabon’s agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors to be 6.404 per cent of GDP in 2020, a good sign to invest in Gabon.

Gabon imports the bulk of its cereal requirements through commercial channels, with cereal imports accounting for approximately 90 per cent of the total cereal utilization.  Imports of cereals in 2021 were estimated at a slightly below-average level of 171,000 tons, including about 110,000 tons of wheat and 55,000 tons of rice.

Gabon is facing escalating agricultural food prices, especially wheat since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.  To keep domestic wheat prices below 25,000 CFA, the government formally budgeted a subsidy of 4,700 CFA (US$7.55) per 50-kg bag to the country’s wheat importers, led by France’s Société Meunière et Avicole du Gabon company.…