Eufrika: Mr Ikenna Offor, the ambition of the Famers Support Initiative is the promotion of farming

in Africa. How does the project work?

As a charity that promotes farming in a relatively underdeveloped, misrepresented, highly populated

and emerging economy as Africa, our task is not any easy giving the complexity and number of
countries that make up the continent. So when we started this project, we had to identify a starting
point. As a result we choose to start from the most populous country in Africa called Nigeria. With a
population of over 160 million people and a projected population growth to 200 million in the very
near future, we found Nigeria an obvious starting point.

How the project works

We are involved in the provision of agro based training, information dissemination, advocacy,
humanitarian, providing assistance in various areas of need to both low level and large scale
farmers. We try to first identify who the real farmers are and then get them registered for free in our
data bank. In the process, we have more than three thousand low level farmers registered with us at
the moment

For the project to work properly, we grouped the farmers into four categories namely: Subsistent,
Peasant, small, medium and large scale farmers giving the peculiarity of African economic situation
at the moment. The first 3 categories we regard as low level farmers. While the latter we regard as
simply medium and large scale farmers.

Incidentally, when we first started Nigeria did not have data Bank of farmers. As a result, shortly
before our official inauguration in 2008 at the Raw materials research and development council in
Abuja, I expressed my concern and disappointment in the cause of my visit to Prof Afolabi, the then
Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. The Prof, similarly shared my concern
and promised that they will certainly commence the exercise as it was long overdue. Today the story
is a bit different as they recently commenced the registration of farmers nationwide, though not
exactly in the direction we advocated for. But, at least they have started – that’s a way forward!

Eufrika: As a non-profit organization, you are depended on donations. Who are your main
sponsors?

Our funding so far are mainly donations from UK and training programs we organize in Africa mainly
in Nigeria at the moment. We intend to offer same training activities in UK and other African
countries in the near future.

Eufrika: The number of migrants, who leave the African continent each year, increases rapidly. How
do you intend to reverse that development?

This is basically why we recently launched our public enlightenment programme known as “Go
farming campaign” in the UK. You probably need to remember that people’s behavior, actions and
inactions are informed by their knowledge of events. And information is the basis of knowledge.
Little wonder, the saying that if you think knowledge is expensive try ignorance. Majority of farmers
in develop societies are far better off than their counterparts in Africa largely because they are more
informed

The truth is that Africa is currently one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This could
easily translate to real economic empowerment for inhabitants of Africa. So all we can do to effect
this change is to provoke minds of the migrants and prick conscience of governments, International
bodies and business leaders worldwide.

With enough funding and collaborations we are certainly sure of using Farmers Support Initiative to
get migrants from Africa understand the true situation thereby influencing them to gradually start
relocating back home. Though, this is already happening but at a snail rate.

We also try to balance our strategy by continually assuring all concern that It’s certainly, a win-win
situation for everybody. We therefore urge all for the sake of humanity to assist Farmers Support
Initiative in one way or the other in our ongoing “Go Farming campaign”. The first phase of the
campaign has been scheduled to hold outside the state capitals, hence it’s been first launched in the
North East of England www.farmerssupportinitiative.org.uk Next phase will start from London some
time in 2014.

Eufrika: How do you convince migrants in Europe, who just succeeded the dangerous journey to
Europe, to turn back to their home countries?

I’ll simply say this: If you have come to eat and dine suddenly the pot goes dry. Basic common sense
prevails that you have no business sitting tight. You have two options either to sit and sink or move
on and survive. At the moment it is now common knowledge that an average migrant who has come
to Europe in pursuit of greener pasture is no longer finding it as green.

Africans are certainly very resilient people, so undertaking a dangerous journey in pursuit of greener
pasture that has suddenly gone wrong will not be a deterrent to move on for survival. If going back
home will bring about his dream success he/she obviously will be courageous enough to go back if he
sees the real changes in place at home. It happened to the Asians, Russians and even Europeans at a
time in history.

If the farming sector could witness aggressive huge investments in the next couple of years in Africa
with all the untapped natural resources that could speed up the value chain additions, I can assure
you of a rapid economic growth that the world has never witnessed in the history of mankind. It
happened in the telecommunication industry in Nigeria.

If this happens, most of these migrates who presumably made dangerous journeys to Europe some
of who are potential middle class in Africa will begin to have a rethink. So convincing them to go back
will not be a problem as they wouldn’t want to continuously exchange their social stratification in
Africa for that of Europe where they are certainly seen and regarded as foreigners irrespective of
their immigration status.

Eufrika: How do governments react to FSI? Are there any cooperations with governments in Africa
or in Europe? In many countries there are legislations, which prohibit the engagement of non-
governmental organizations (NGO laws), which are financed by foreign countries. How do you deal
with such problems?
We enjoy cordial relationship with governments of both countries. None seem to be uncomfortable
with FS Initiative. If they are none has shown that in any way. But then they certainly need not to
rather they ought to appreciate us for assisting to create employment opportunities, fight crime,
address the issue of migration, and all other social ills bedeviling the society.

Though, we have not enjoyed any sort of logistical support from either government ever since we
started but we have enjoyed their moral support. At our official inauguration in Abuja, The Minister
of Agriculture then in the person of Dr Abba Ruma was present. While in the UK our Go farming
campaign in the North East of England was officially launched by the Mayor of the city of Stockton. It
was also attended by a member of British parliament, Alex Cunningham,MP representing Stockton
North. We also enjoy a cordial relationship with the business communities in both countries.

Eufrika: A recently published book by the German diplomat off duty Volker Seitz “Afrika wird
armregiert” identifies the circumstances in Africa itself as a main reason for the failure of
international development cooperation. Corruption, African leaders’ kleptogracy, lacking of Human
Rights and democracy and well-meant but crudely mislead financial support do not solve problems
but seem to engrave them. What is your opinion about international development cooperation
nowadays?

There is some sort of blame game going on within the international community. It’s such an
interesting and funny situation. It is like a situation where one denies wrong doing but then suddenly
realizes he was part of the bad situation, so decide to make amends but again finds it difficult fixing
the bad situation then goes back blaming everyone else except himself.

There are situations that are indefensible no matter how hard you try to defend them. Corruption is
one of them. But then we are told in Public Relations practice that no matter how much you try to
cover up a liar it remains a liar until truth prevails. Africa has a strong religious heritage built on truth
until civilization came and the rest as they say became history.

Much as I’m not in anyway defending anybody, I think it’s not proper to blame only African leaders
for the present abnormal situation. A situation where in the mist of plenty people are still very poor.
It’s now common knowledge that most of the wars and a number of civil unrests in the continent are
caused by outside elements. Majority of this instances have also been reported in both local and
international media. But then, the United Nations and other international agencies rather than take
appropriate actions most times tend to lack the political and or economic will to do so.

I think, the honorable thing we all need to do for the sake of humanity rather than blaming each
other is to do something or support those who are acting in one way or the other to effect a positive
change for a better world. In the light of this, international development cooperation is still a good
idea if the intention is to help.

Eufrika: If you go 50 years in the future: how does life in Africa look like? What will have been
changed?

I see hope and nothing but hope. There are huge opportunities in Africa especially in the farming
sector. Zimbabwe was once a prosperous African nation until President Mugabe started having
problem with large scale farmers majority of who migrated from Europe during the old good days. If
other African countries have gone the way of Zimbabwe in developing the Agric sector rather than
depending on oil and other huge mineral reserves Africa would have been one of the most
prosperous continents in the world.

Having said this, it is scary to know that if we keep ignoring the farming sector, Africa will remain in a
vicious circle in the next 50 years. The simple reason is that Farming is Africa’s unique selling
point(USP).

Many do not key into this thinking because, they do not understand how huge farming is. They have
this mental picture of farming as only crops and limited knowledge of livestock farming. This is
largely as a result of the total neglect of the sector. This is why we have huge gap between the haves
and the have-nots in Africa more than many other nations on earth.

If projects such as Farmers Support Initiative are not supported by relevant authorities, in the next
50 years we will have very prosperous countries in Africa where you equally have kidnapping and
violent crime on the increase as a result of unimaginable lopsidedness in wealth acquisition. South
Africa is already doing its’ best in this regards. The value chain in agriculture is gradually working
though they need to do more.