Sterling bank partners Mastercard, launches farmer’s radio to improve agribusiness

Sterling bank has partnered with the Mastercard Foundation to launch the Nigerian Farmers Radio, a Pan-Nigeria agribusiness-related radio show to boost agribusiness in Nigeria.

Discussions on the program will focus majorly on increased access to credit and improvement in farming, which will lead to prosperity and food security for farmers, communities, and the country at large.

The program is conceptualized to ensure that farmers who operate in remote locations reduce the risk of missing out on new opportunities such as the single-digit interest Sterling Women and Youths in Agriculture Finance (SWAY-AgFin).

The SWAY-AgFIN solution was developed and distributed in partnership with Mastercard Foundation to help increase the output and profitability of agribusiness by making much-needed capital available to entrepreneurs.

The radio program would be broadcast in major Nigerian languages, including Pidgin English, to meet diverse demographic needs and would also touch on issues relating to product-to-region mapping and the benefits in the entire agriculture value chain.

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Speaking on the significance of the program, Abubakar Suleiman, Chief Executive Officer, Sterling Bank, explained that radio remains the most potent communication tool for getting information across to those in rural farming communities.

“For 2021, our approach will be to assess region-specific value chains to maximize impact, the value of an investment, and deliver solutions tailored to the most active and valuable products in the region. The Farmers’ Radio would address any challenge by bringing useful and relevant topics that will improve productivity to farmers,” he said.

He added that the discussions will be region-specific with solutions proffered to address all challenges farmers are likely to encounter. Giving examples he said, the value chain focus for the Northeast and Northwest sub-regions will be maize, rice, and sesame with the delivery language as Hausa while the value chain focus for the South West will be aquaculture and poultry with the delivery language as Yoruba.