NIGERIA-Nigeria is set to receive 25,000 tonnes of grain from Ukraine as part of the European country’s efforts to supply food to the countries in need despite its ongoing war with Russia.
The grains will be delivered under the “Grains from Ukraine” program which Ukraine is implementing in partnership with the UN World Food Programme.
Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solskyi, who led a delegation to Nigeria revealed the country’s intention as well as plans to build a logistics hub in the West African nation to facilitate grain and food deliveries.
Despite the prevailing war in Ukraine, the country is trying to bolster its relationships with African nations and has dispatched delegations to the continent to achieve its goal.
The delegation which was in Nigeria has earlier visited Senegal and Ghana. In Nigeria, they met with Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar.
According to Nairametrics, a news publication in Nigeria, Ukraine has set the record straight that this is not humanitarian aid but a trade partnership.
The partnership intends to positively influence grain prices in African countries through grain supplies to mitigate the skyrocketing prices and meet the increasing demand.
According to Solskyi, the Ukrainian government plans to develop two to three hubs in Africa, and Nigeria was considered first following its readiness for the business.
The statement was reckoned by the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Abubakar, who promised to the set-up up ports for Ukraine’s grain hubs in the country.
“I can assure you that the relations with Ukraine will improve. We have been having business with Ukraine, especially in the agriculture sector and I can say that over 30% of our agricultural businesses are with Ukraine, especially in the area of wheat, fertilizer, and other grains.”
Ukraine is also considering implementing new logistical projects in Senegal to step up exports of its agricultural produce via the Port of Dakar.
Meanwhile, the World Bank in its January 2023 Global Economic Prospects report says that growth in Nigeria’s agricultural sector is expected to soften because of the damage from the 2022 floods.
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