Yearly, Nigeria has the potential of earning millions of naira as foreign exchange from the sales of flowers in commemoration of the St. Valentine’s Day celebrated every February 14.
Speaking on the urgent need to balance the quest for infrastructural development with the challenge of climate change through its impact on the natural ecosystem and human communities, Oforiokuma said Africa could be a global leader in this regard. According to him, the continent’s contribution to the problem of climate change was so meagre compared to the more industrialised economies and that, if the rules were followed, Africa could become a torchbearer for a more responsible global developmental paradigm.
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The rate of yam consumption is high in West Africa, thanks to its health benefits. Against this background, there are efforts by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and others to increase yam cultivation using vines and minisett, instead of planting only the head,
DANIEL ESSIET
Yam is central to food consumption in West Africa. About 48 million tonnes of yam (95 per cent of global supply) are produced on four million hectares yearly in the sub region, mainly in five countries: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo, with Nigeria alone accounting for 70 per cent of its global supply.