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Cellulant to develop e-register linking Liberia farmers to markets
Cellulant, a Kenya-headquartered software firm, has secured a contract with the Liberian government to develop an e-registration platform that will link farmers and agro-dealers to a supply chain of inputs, finance, and market places.
The Liberia deal is part of the Agriculture Transformation Agenda contract Cellulant signed with African Development Bank (AfDB) in October 2015.
The construction of the tool should be completed in the next six months.
The platform will track farmers’ activities and help address livelihood and business risks by linking them to service providers to achieve higher economic returns to land, labour, capital and ecosystem service investments.
“Technology is one of the key enablers that will get Africa (to the top of the agriculture value chain) fast and cost effectively,” said the AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina in a statement.
The Business Daily could not establish the worth of the contract but a similar four-year contract with the Nigeria’s federal government was valued at Sh745 million.
This technology (e-wallet) has been proven in Nigeria where 14.5 million farmers and 2,500 agribusiness are participating via mobile phones in an agri-commerce marketplace.
“We are excited to be partnering with the Government of Liberia and the African Development Bank. This collaboration will provide a solution to millions of Africans who depend on the agriculture sector for their livelihoods,” said co-founder of Cellulant Ken Njoroge.
Cellulant will be setting up a system based on building a database of small holder farmers, geographical and financial institutions mapping, and an ICT infrastructure for connections.
“Before the next planting season is over, 150,000 Liberian farmers will be registered into the ecosystem,” read the press statement.
The e-Wallet is expanding farmers’ access to financial services, agricultural inputs, e-extension and markets through the mobile phone.
Source:Balancingact-Africa
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