BoA partners NIPOST to expand farmers’ access to credit
Bank of Agriculture (BoA) and the
Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) to expand and facilitate access to collection and distribution of
agricultural credits to farmers.
Mr. Kabir Mohammed, Managing
Director of BoA, who signed on behalf of the bank in Abuja recently, said the
partnership was will enable the BoA to fulfill its mandate of reaching farming
communities across the country.
Mohammed said NIPOST has facilities,
particularly in rural areas, that could serve as warehouses for farm implements
and inputs for distribution to farmers by BoA. He said the partnership would
serve the purpose of the two organisation for network expansion at minimal cost
and asset optimisation.
He said it is common knowledge
that NIPOST has more than 1,000 post offices and about 600 functional postal
agents and post shops.
“Seventy per cent of these
outlets are located in rural areas. Sorting offices of most rural post offices
are highly under-utilized and can be used for providing a one stop banking or
facility to our customers.
“The input suppliers will be in
one location, seeds suppliers will be in the same location, fertiliser
suppliers will be in the same location and also other companies that provide
activities like land clearing using equipment.
“And this location ideally is
supposed to be provided by the bank and we found it handy in the postal
service,’’ he said.
Mr. Olabode Abikoye, BoA’s
Executive Director Wholesale Banking, said implementation of the MoU would
commence all over the country soon.
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