FG, Global Good sign MOU on agriculture, health solutions

The Federal Government (FG) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Global Good to introduce and invent technologies to benefit small holder farmers and women in agriculture and primary health care.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo signed on behalf of the government while Mr David Keogh, the Director of Global Good, signed on behalf of the organisation.

Keogh told state House Press Corps after the event that the MOU would allow the group, co-founded by Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvoid, to work with the relevant ministries to identify key constraints that could be addressed by technology.

He said that that the group would use its facilities in Seattle, U.S., to invent and work with the FG, non-profit agencies and multi-lateral development agencies to use the technologies to benefit the smallholder farmers and the healthcare sector to improve the health and livelihood of Nigerians.

He said that the partnership with Nigeria was based on the receptivity to the kind of model the group shared with local companies and that Nigeria had huge opportunity for development.

Also speaking, Mr Edema, Akenzua, the group’s Advisor, said the group was funded by Bill Gates to impart technology in Nigeria.

He said this was the first time the group was partnering with government to use its resources to jump start the economy, support it in healthcare and agriculture and in other areas in future.

He said the signing of the MOU was a huge event for the country due to the huge resources being proposed for the execution of the agreement by the group.

He said the MOU was a growing support which would start with low technology to cover all segments of healthcare, and agriculture.

"There is no dollar value to it. It is an on-going thing and the aim is to commercialise the technology that Global Good is going to introduce in Nigeria and that by itself will generate revenue; it is self-sustainable,’’ he said.

Prince Niyi Akenzua, the facilitator of the collaboration, added that the meeting with the ministries was to understand the challenges as Global Good specialized in developing specific solutions to address such challenges.

According to him the two ministries chosen are key to developing the people and the group will scale up the project from there.