The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting the Kano State Government [in Nigeria] with anti-pest beans, a species developed from research, to significantly reduce dependency on pesticides and boost production.

Addressing newsmen at a project review and workshop on [April 2] in Kano, the Foundation’s Senior Programme Officer based in Seattle, United States, Lawrence Kent, said his team was in Kano to support the pest resistance cowpea project which is an effort being led by the Nigerian government in collaboration with the African Agricultural Technology.

“This is to bring the new improved insect resistant cowpea to Nigeria in collaboration with Institute of Agricultural Research, and other projects has led to the development of improved cowpea variety that is resistant to pests.”

“So, we at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are proud to provide some financial support to the partners here in Nigeria who are now working to reproduce the seeds, both the foundation seed and the breeder seed, but most importantly, the certified seed that is produced by eleven different Nigerian seed companies.”

“We are supporting them to produce the quality seeds and make it available to the Nigerian farmers so they can improve their yields and reduce dependence on pesticides and improve their livelihoods,” Kent said.

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