Nigeria can earn N1tr yearly from smoked fish - Adamawa fishers

Fishermen Association, Adamawa State chapter, has said that the export of smoked fish can generate over N1 trillion yearly for the country.

Speaking at a workshop in Yola, Adamawa State, yesterday, on fish smoking organised by the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos State, chairman of the association, Alhaji Mahmud Ali, pointed out that Nigeria had the best quality fishes that could attract international patronage.

Ali, who called on the Federal Government to expand the new fish smoking technology to legitimate fishermen to boost their businesses, noted that “fish is the best meat” consumed worldwide.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to award the contract for the dredging of River Benue before the third quarter of this year, noting that the project would also boost irrigation farming to improve food production in the country.
While declaring the workshop open, the Director-General of FIIRO, Dr. Agnes Asagbra, said the training was meant to empower youths and women on digital entrepreneurship to boost their economic status.

The DG, who was represented by the Deputy Director, North West Region, Mr Tamasi Muktar, said the training was part of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) palliative packaged to enhance the skills of youth and women as well as encourage them to be economically self-reliant.

He pointed out that over 250 different technologies were developed by FIIRO to help the government rebuild the economy through youth and women empowerment.

In her welcome remarks, the North East Coordinator of FIIRO, Mrs Tabitha Garba, noted that the three-day training was designed to equip youth and women with the new skills of digital entrepreneurship.

She maintained that FIIRO technologies were aimed towards job creation in the North East, urging the participants to take advantage of the training to re-engineer their fish businesses.