Sasakawa Africa Association: 3 decades of fight against hunger and poverty in Nigeria, by Prof MK Othman
Deep Thought with Othman
On Monday, 7th October 2024, my book with the above title was unveiled at the Coronation Hall of the Kano state government house before a high-level audience from ten countries and twenty states across Nigeria – a story for another day. This week, I am presenting the book review by Prof. Aliyu Aisha Ammani, an erudite professor of agricultural economics at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, literary guru, and social media activist. Happy reading
Book Author: M.K. Othman,
Book title: Sasakawa Africa Association: Three Decades of Fight against Hunger and Poverty in Nigeria, Book Pages: 336, Publishers: Sasakawa Africa Association, Nigeria-office. ISBN: 978-978-782-568-6
Reviewer: Professor Aliyu A. Ammani
The author, Professor Mohammed Khalid Othman, holds a Ph.D. (Irrigation Water Management) from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, M.Phil. (Hydrology/Hydraulics) from ENGREF Montpellier, France; M.Sc. (Agricultural Engineering/Soil and Water), and B.Engr. (Agricultural Engineering) also from ABU, Zaria. He is an agricultural engineer with more than two decades of working experience in the vast field of agricultural extension, rising to the rank of Extension Professor (Agricultural and Bio-resources Engineering) at National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) in ABU Zaria. He was Executive Director of the only agricultural research institute with a national mandate for agricultural extension research in Nigeria, the NAERLS, from 2016 to 2020. With this background, it should be clear that the author is qualified to write the book.
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The purpose and scope of the book can be inferred from its title, i.e., to document SAA’s Three Decades of Fight against Hunger and Poverty in Nigeria. What motivated the author? He said, “With over two decades of working in Nigeria’s agricultural space, I am still waiting to see evidence-based performance with tangible impacts and cost-effectiveness on the people and environment, like SAA interventions in Nigeria’s Agriculture.” In other words, the author is motivated by the urge to document the unprecedented activities and impacts of SAA’s intervention in Nigeria. The book is not only an attempt at filling the knowledge gap by providing comprehensive documentation of SAA’s history, intervention, and impact in Nigeria but also to inspire continued innovation and collaboration in African agricultural development.
The author’s main thrust or argument in the book is to establish that “the SAA Operation (in Nigeria) is where theoretical concepts work perfectly with practical field realities for the benefit of humanity,” that SAA has been “a veritable linkage to research centers and fieldwork through technology transfer, ‘doing and walking’ with farmers.” Though the author did not compare, empirically or otherwise, the impact of SAA’s interventions with any other project or similar projects in Nigeria (to provide a contrast, as things are better appreciated in comparisons), he tried to support his argument from multiple perspectives with facts and figures of SAA’s intervention in the country, balancing it up with stakeholders’ experiences and testimonies.
The author reviewed SAA’s activities and program implementation strategies and recorded achievements across the various phases through the period 1992 to 2022 while at the same time identifying, noting, and acknowledging the roles and contributions of the different stakeholders and collaborators. The book is structured into seven chapters, which capture the author’s main points: Background of SAA in Nigeria, Sasakawa Africa Association, Formative Period (1992 to 2002), Consolidation and Diversification (2003 – 2022), Experiences and Stakeholders’ Testimonies, Thirty Years Later: Commencement of A New Dawn, and wrapping it up in the concluding chapter of the book, with Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendations.
Chapter one presents a brief history of agricultural development in Nigeria, starting with agriculture under colonial rule, through the establishment of agricultural agencies in pre- and post-Independence Nigeria, including the creation of Agricultural Institutions, the status of Agriculture in the 1990s, and concluding with a section on pre- and post-Independence Extension Services.
Chapter two focussed on the Sasakawa Africa Association. Beginning with a section on SAA’s background, vision, and mission, the author reviewed the role played by the Three Global Food Champions in Africa: Mr. Ryoichi Sasakawa, Dr. Norman Borlaug, and former US President Jimmy Carter. The chapter ended with a gripping narration of the Strenuous Fight Against Hunger in Africa.
Chapter three deals with SAA’s formative period from 1992 to 2002. It presents the background, entry, and approaches adopted by SG 2000 in Nigeria, the increase in coverage and crop diversification, and the impacts of SG 2000 Programs over 1992 – 2002. It reviews SAA’s efforts in the promotion of Maize and Wheat technologies as well as the promotion of crop diversification.
Chapter Four provides essential information on SAA’s consolidation and diversification over 2003 – 2022. It reviews the paradigm shift of the SG 2000 Program, the SAA thematic areas, SAA Activities, and Impacts. It also presents Bill Gates’s visit to the IITA/SAA Africa Demonstration Plot, the signing of the second MOU with the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the consolidation of SAA Agricultural Extension Models. It also reviews SAA Third-Party Funded Projects, with Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA0, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), etc. The chapter was concluded with a review of the Challenges to SAA Program Implementation.
Chapter Five presents the experiences and testimonies of stakeholders, collaborators, and beneficiaries Testimonies. Prominent Nigerians such as Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Elder Chief Oloche Edache, Dr. Adewumi Adesina (President, AfDB), former minister of agriculture Alhaji Sabo Nanono, Professor Kabiru Bala (VC ABU) etc. were interviewed. SAFE Program Coordinators and Deans, SAFE Graduates, Farmers, Extension Workers, and SAA Personnel were also interviewed. Chapter Six reviews the 30 years of SAA in Nigeria and an interaction with the new SAA Country Director, Dr. Godwin Atser. The last chapter gives the book’s summary, conclusion, and recommendations.
An introductory chapter clearly stating the author’s purpose of writing the book, including the approach/methodology used in data collection and information gathering, structure of the book, as well as the challenges encountered in the process of writing the book, is missing. A chapter dedicated to the challenges faced by SAA in implementing its programs in Nigeria also appears missing. There is also a minor problem with the pagination. The last of the preliminary pages is numbered xxiii (Roman numerals), and the first chapter, which starts on the following page, was numbered 24 instead of 1 (Arabic numerals). However, the absence of an introductory chapter documenting the purpose and approach does not detract from the work, as the necessary ingredients are implied in the book’s contents. Similarly, challenges faced by SAA during program implementation are tucked up in section 4.15 of Chapter 4. In other words, despite the aforementioned apparent omissions, the book has accomplished its purpose.
The author’s persuasiveness was enhanced by employing features like unity, coherence, and logical flow of narrations supported with ample illustrations. The book is highly illustrated with about two dozen tables and figures, more than a dozen insightful interviews on stakeholders’ and beneficiaries’ experiences, thirty-seven (37) pictures (some very historical), and several key information boxes. The tone and style of the book are academic and impersonal, which suits its topic, audience, and rhetorical situation. The book is both captivating and inspiring to read.
Conclusion
The author set out to document for posterity the unprecedented activities and impacts of SAA’s intervention in Nigeria, “where theoretical concepts work perfectly with practical field realities for the benefit of humanity.” The book not only provides a comprehensive documentation of SAA’s history, intervention, and impact in Nigeria, but it also inspires continued innovation and collaboration in agricultural development in Africa. In my humble evaluation, the book has achieved its purpose.
This book is invaluable and resourceful reference material. I recommend it to stakeholders, researchers, policymakers, students, NGOs, general readers, and all those involved in donor-supported agricultural interventions in Nigeria and other developing countries.
Professor Mk Othman was a two term Executive Director of the National Agricultural Extension Liaison and Research Services, NAERLS, and is currently a Senior lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria.
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