Branding and marketing Africa’s agriculture: Time is now
Olukayode Oyeleye
June 11, 2018
There are many reasons to be optimistic about Africa. One of such was articulated by McKinsey, a consulting firm. In McKinsey’s reckoning: “Africa’s growth prospects are bright” even though they differ country by country and sector by sector. Focusing on sectors, McKinsey’s verdict was that “agriculture is Africa’s largest economic sector, representing 15 percent of […]
Unlocking the potential of African youth (2)
Olukayode OyeleyeJune 5, 2018
RECOGNITION OF THE STRATEGIC relevance of the youthful population in any nation, economy or continent is essential. This needs to elicit appropriate policy responses to make them relevant, useful, productive and hopeful. Denial of such responses has culminated in untoward consequences in many cases in contemporary times. Although the level and nature of grievances often differ, when […]
Unlocking the potential of African youth
Olukayode OyeleyeMay 28, 2018
Africa sits on a time bomb, waiting to explode for good or for ill. With a population estimated at 1,287,920,518 in 2018, a population density of 42.51, a growth rate of 2.52 percent and projected to rise to 1,703,537,504, a population density of 56.22 and a growth rate of 2.23 percent, by 2030, the continent […]
Could cassava be Africa’s key to food security and economic take-off? (2)
Olukayode OyeleyeMay 23, 2018
Africa earns the reputation of producing more cassava than any other crop. FAO figures, in 2011, revealed that the continent produced 140 million metric tonnes, compared to 65 million tonnes of maize. Easy to grow in poor soils, with few inputs, it has long been an important and cheap source of food. According to Dr. […]
Could cassava be Africa’s key to food security, economic take-off? (1)
Olukayode OyeleyeMay 14, 2018
The centre of gravity of food security may indeed be shifting from the global north to the global south. In this tectonic shift, Africa ranks top as the destination and theatre of action. Emerging findings point in this direction, which could be corroborated by the events in the aftermath of the global food crises about […]
Sustaining agriculture and food security in Africa through innovation
Olukayode OyeleyeMay 7, 2018
African continent presents stark contrasts in socio-economic contexts. In these contexts are embedded contradictions and crises associated with development, wealth creation and well-being on a continental scale. In food production and consumption, the current realities remain worrisome. This is despite the enormous potential in agriculture that remains to be unlocked. With a landmass of about […]
Surmounting the hurdles in Africa’s cotton and textile industry (3)
Olukayode OyeleyeApril 30, 2018
Te perspective for growth in the hydrocarbon-based alternative to cotton can only get better. This is against the backdrop that the rising demand for clothing materials may stretch cotton supply to the limit. Despite the discovery of this substitute, cotton still continues to be highly relevant as the demand for natural fibres continues to increase […]
Surmounting the hurdles in Africa’s cotton and textile industry (2)
Olukayode OyeleyeApril 23, 2018
Africa’s trade relation with the rest of the world, as it is presently, is awkward. It got worse in recent times, particularly in the manufacturing sector due to some powerful external factors. China’s highly competitive manufacturing sector has devastated many smaller-scale rivals across Africa, Asia and Latin America in the course of implementing Beijing’s global […]
Surmounting hurdles in Africa’s cotton, textile industry
Olukayode OyeleyeApril 16, 2018
Africa is a continent with many challenges and many opportunities. There is, however, a bright silver lining around the clouds in Africa’s horizon, and bright prospects as the future beckons. In agriculture, Africa has a strong competitive edge as it holds 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, holding the key for production of […]