Ghanaian Businessman Sees Africa's Potential as the World's Major Food Producer and Exporter

With a history of famines and wars that have helped create ecological disasters, it's hard to imagine Africa becoming the world's food basket, yet Ghanaian agriculture expert and businessman Thomas  Abanga sees this possibility with the right agricultural architecture in place and commitment from national leaders.

"We've got to wake up because in the next 15 to 20 years, the entire world will be looking to Africa for two things. Number one is food. Why?  We have 70% of the land that is not cultivated. Number two, human capital. If you look at the average age in Africa, it's in the thirties. So we need to start to put the architecture in place where we can revamp our institutions that will prepare us to increase production, and we would need the right system."

Thomas Abanga is the president and CEO of A & G Agro Mechanical Industries and Abanga Farms for more than 20 years.  In this episode, he discusses how his company has been exploring and implementing innovative solutions throughout Africa to address the continent's agricultural production in economically and environmentally sustainable ways.  His company A &G Agro Mechanical Industries represents one of the largest tractor manufacturers in West Africa and in 140 countries.

Transcript

Mr. Abanga  

[00:00:00] Hello, and welcome to what's going on. Eyes on Africa and the Caribbean, the podcast that brings bi-weekly conversations with people who know and work extensively and at the ground level in Africa and the Caribbean to the people of the African diaspora. Join us as we follow social and economic development issues in and around Africa and the Caribbean, including issues about youth health, education, business, emerging entrepreneurs, gender equality, you name it.

[00:00:33] If it relates to Africa, the Caribbean and the people of the African diaspora. We'll talk about it. What's going on? Eyes on Africa and the Caribbean wants you to stay connected to the people in places that you love. So, join us. We're your hosts? Moronke Oshin-Martin and Grace Oshin. 

Moronke: [00:00:00] So today we have the pleasure of talking to Thomas Abanga, the president and CEO of A & G Agro Mechanical Industries and Abanga Farms for more than 20 years. Mr. Banga has been exploring and implementing innovative solutions to address Africa's agricultural production and economically and environmentally sustainable ways.

[00:00:26] His company A &G Agro Mechanical Industries represents one of the largest tractor manufacturers in West Africa and in 140 countries. Welcome Mr. Banka and thanks for spending some time with us. 

Mr Abanga: [00:00:43] Thank you very much. It is a pleasure talking with you. And I would just like to thank you for all the efforts that you are making in connection, not just connecting us, but trying to put the message out there so that we can promote and drive our [00:01:00] agenda in Africa and in the Caribbean. 

Moronke: [00:01:05] Exactly. And as we were saying earlier, we need to start making things happen for ourselves. And I think that what fascinates me about your company is that you are doing just that and you have been doing it for many years  in the hope that Africa will be self-sufficient. And as you've said, too, not only self-sufficient, but we become net exporters of staple, cereal crops, and grains to the European union and other markets. That would be a major achievement for Africa and it will certainly solve a lot of the issues that we currently have. So, let me start by just talking about some of the issues that I've read about and that the UN has reported on in terms of new emerging challenges in agriculture, in Africa, and one of them and an obvious one, and it affects not just Africa, but also the world and that's climate change and the fact that there's increasing water scarcity. And yet we know that in, in Africa, in parts of Africa, at least irrigation is still an issue, biodiversity and ecosystem loss because of development. We've got desertification where a lot of land is not as accessible and is more susceptible to degregation and erosion. We have, and we'll talk about this some more, low resilience to natural disasters. There are a lot of people still involved in farming, but startup capital is very limited. We have farmers with limited experience in farming, the lack of knowledge about business planning, [00:03:00] and adopting and learning new technologies. And I think what makes it very exciting for me, what you're doing is that you're trying to fill in some of the gaps in some of these areas that I've just talked about. So, tell me what for you, or what do you see as being the main challenges for Africa. And I think we say Africa, but Africa is a big continent with lots of countries. So obviously it's not the same challenges that we're talking about. So, break it down for us. What do you see as some of the main challenges in terms of agriculture, in some of the countries that you've been involved in? 

Mr Abanga: [00:03:48] Well, thank you very much for the opportunity. I actually, I was born into agriculture.  I mean, my dad was an agriculturalist with the British, before Ghana gained independence. And when we gained independence in 1957, my father was a pioneer of, uh, the state farm corporation that was instituted by Kwame Nkrumah to drive agriculture. So I grew up in agriculture. I grew up in a farm. I don't have agriculture in my brain. I have it in my blood. so, I mean staying lot of years outside the continent, seeking education.  And after that, I decided that I got to get back to Africa to actually set up an agriculture entity that covers the entire value chain. I mean, when I talk about the entire value chain, I'm talking about production to marketing, but when I came, I saw that in Africa with 60% of the uncultivated agricultural land in Africa devoted to cocoa, cocoa. If Africa decided to shut down the doors of cocoa going to Europe, Europe, and America would not have chocolate. I said, well, if we have, let's say 60% of the arable land, why should we spend billions and billions of dollars bringing  cereal,  not to mention rice. We import rice into our country. But in, in doing that research, I discovered that the factors that affect us is,  number one, the architecture; number two, the systems;  number three, innovation; number four, access to capital. 

Now, let me talk about architecture. Architecture is the land development, the land preparation. Seeding, plant protection, harvesting and post-harvest. That is the value chain, in the Architecture. When we talk about agro systems, now, when you get those in place, then it becomes a system for farmers to follow, to increase their yield. That requires education, which in Africa, we don't have. We don't have the system in place in terms of mechanization. Now we talk about mechanization. Mechanization is the machinery that we would need to do land development, to do land preparation, to plant, to protect our plan, our plans, but weedicide, pesticides. The machinery we would need to harvest, to process. And in fact, mechanization, don't just stop at the farm. When you get tomatoes in your kitchen, you use a blender, then it goes to the kitchen because in a mechanism that requires mechanical movement and I'm using the blender as an example. And that mechanization in agriculture follows us to our kitchen. And this is what we lack in Africa. We don't have the required tools to set up the system where we all can produce and process to feed ourself, to keep your store and to explore what the industrial world have been able to achieve is that they'd be able to get the architecture in place. That's way in industrial country, especially in the United States or in Germany or in Holland, you see somebody having 10,000 acres and you just got three or four workers and they are comfortable because the architecture systems are in place. 

Now we'll move from architecture. We'll move from system. We'll come to innovation. Now we're talking about precision agriculture, vertical agriculture. Where people precision agriculture, where people, somebody you're have your farm one acre, it got three acres. You can increase your yield by 120% with limited labor. We don't have that in Africa. We have the vast land. And, what our political system has been doing, they've been driven by procurement mentality. Where most of this agriculture institutions just want to buy my machines, would that integrating the system, the innovation system to prepare production high yield production. So those are the factors. 

Now, when you have the architecture, you have the system, you have innovation, you have decreased the risk for a financial institution to come and say, okay, now I see that you got a system in place. I can give you a loan to increase production. [00:09:00] So the reason, the thing that blocks us from getting access to capital is because we don't have the system in place. I see. Okay. So until we get the systems in place, it is going to be a challenging for financial institutions, because for them, they look at the bottom line.  So they want to make sure that you have a system in place where they give you funding. You go into production, you're able to produce, process, market , have your income, and pay their loan. 

Moronke: [00:09:31] Right. 

Mr Abanga: [00:09:32] We don't have that. So, those are the challenges. So, until we put in the system, that opens the door for you to access capital, because people are giving you capital are looking for, one, do you have the capacity to pay back? Those are factors. You've got farmers in America, they were walking to the bank and say, I want $2 million. It takes them less than 24 hours to access the capital because they have the systems in place. We don't have the system in place and we have this vast land.  And, you know, You know what it's amazing to me. Civilization started from Africa. Yes, it did. Trade started from Africa. Architecture started from Africa, mechanization started from Africa and for some reason we just lost it. So, I think in this generation we have to stop to think, where did we go wrong? Then we're going to pick up from there. Who have all this men, mineral resources, the cellphone, the computers, the chip that make the cellphone and the computer is from Africa. 85% of the elements that is used, comes from DRC. If we decide to shut it down, the  whole world would be in darkness in terms of technology, you haven't still would be lacking behind. And the big elephant in the room, it is foreign policy foreign interests. And they have burdened us with grants and loans. And those grants and loans are incumbent. They are big obstacle to agricultural production. 

Moronke: [00:11:19] How was that? 

Mr Abanga: [00:11:21] For instance? Let's look at the United States. Yeah. The majority of their export to Africa is agriculture. I’m talking about maize, soy and rice. So, if they're giving you a loan to increase agriculture production,  it comes with restrictions in terms of where and how you can spend that money. So, they don't give you the room for you to actually devolve the systems, and that will increase your yield so that you can limit importation of their [00:12:00] rice. 

Moronke: [00:12:10] But Mr. Abanga, I've been reading and correct me if I'm wrong, obviously you're at the ground level. You always hear that the world bank all these organizations are helping Africans to the agricultural sector in Africa, to grow more of this, or to make cocoa more resilient to disease or whatever. They're supposed to be helping us with irrigation. Are you saying that this is not really what what's happening at the ground level?

Mr Abanga: [00:12:44] you know, World bank is a great institution with great people. The African Development Bank, great institution with great people in European union., great institution with great people maybe with good  intentions, but you got to factor in who are the one, giving them the money to give to Africa. And what's their interest I want to, I want to, I want to enlighten you on something. It is other Africa. And some parts of Latin America that they grow cocoa. If you look at the amount of money that is given to cocoa, because the industrial world, they love chocolate. If you look at the money that they sponsor and the research that the pour into cocoa ,cocoa production in Ghana and in Ivory Coast equate that to the money that they put out for rice production, for maize,  for soy, for poultry.  They don't grow cocoa in the United States. They don’t grow cocoa in Europe, that's the agenda. And the agenda has always been, we should be down there and they will give us what we need or what we don't need. So you're doing good, works some infrastructure, but you know, infrastructure doesn't cut it,. We need investment into the architecture of agriculture. We need investment into agro system. We need innovation and we need access to capital. Most of the capital that comes here is for infrastructure, right? And consultants. And what are the consultants that bring down here? You have people to take the money back and I'm not trying to beat on kindness.

 Most of this is our leaders. I'll tell you something, in the seventies one of our head of state was called general Acheampong. When he staged a coup, the Western world decided that, look, we're not going to give you money because you took power. And he said, okay, have your money. Then he went, he went back to the Ghanaians and said, look, everybody got to have a farm. If you're a minister, if you're a secretary, I don't care who you are. You got to go to the farm. Within three years we produce so much food that we had to export. And guess what, when that happened, you know what they did was okay, we'll come up to give you money.  So, we are capable of re-engineering of our systems. I'm also lemme talk. We're talking about engineering right now. We have different ecosystems. The agroecosystem in Africa is different from the agroecosystem in Europe, in America, in China, in India, we have different agrosystems, different. Now. For you to have a compatible system, you need to engineer the machinery that is comparable to your agroecosystem. Now we bring in equipment from Europe [00:16:00] that is engineered for the agro system in Europe. We'll bring equipment from America that isn't, it's not compatible to our system. That's another factor that puts a stamp. So, until we are able to engineer our own agrosystems where we can manufacture or produce our own tools, agro-inputs to prepare our production, we would just be changing seats in the Titanic and the ship will be going down. 

But I'm glad that instead of part of Africa right now, people are up there. If you look at Nigeria, you look at Ghana, you look at other countries. I mean, we are doing something in Liberia trying to, we sign an agreement with the Liberian government to do 10,000 acres of rice. We trying to see what kind of system that we can put in there so that we can increase yield also in Namibia  you know, right now, but, until we settle up, we got to wake up because in the next 15 to 20 years, the entire world will be looking to Africa for two things. Number one is food. Why we'll have 70% of the land that is not cultivated. Number two, human capital. If you look at the average age in Africa, it's in the thirties. So we need to start to put the architecture in place where we can revamp our institutions that will prepare us to increase production and would need the right system.

[00:17:33] So investments, you would go into rice system, deploy right innovations for us to increase production. Look at our population. The Population is getting crazy. How are we going to feed them until we have the right system in place. 

]Moronke: [00:17:52] It's so intriguing because when you put it this way. When we don't have that architecture in place, [00:18:00] we can't even become or start to become innovative and productive. 

Mr Abanga: [00:18:07] No, we can't. We'll just be changing seats in the titanic. We'll be going down. 

Moronke: [00:18:12] Now that's a wonderful analogy. And as you said, too the government is missing the process and not starting from the beginning they don't, I don't understand why they don't see that you can't just go with innovation or mechanization before you have that architecture in place. Why is that? What is it that's preventing them from seeing the, you need to look at the architecture first and get that in place. Why can't we do it in that order?

Mr Abanga: [00:18:47] Lack of patriotism, lack of patriotism. Corruption breeds in the absence of patriotism. First, you got to love your country, right? You got to love your country. And if you love your [00:19:00] country, you love your people. Kwame Nkrumah, Patrick Lumumba, Nelson Mandela, and the list goes on Martin Luther King, Marcus, Garvey. I mean you name all those pioneers who paved the way for us to see the light. They loved their country. They loved the world. Their vision was for the future, it wasn't for the now. They were able to discover themselves. And if you discovered yourself, whatever funding that comes in to propel agriculture, to put the systems in agriculture, definitely you're going to put that to use, Why did Nkrumah build-out costs will go down. He built the motorway because he was thinking about the future. It wasn't about the, now. Unfortunately, most of our leaders, most of them, we have some great leaders don't get me wrong now, but what have the majority of our leaders who don't think [00:20:00] about the future, they just think about the now. So if they get capital of thousands of dollars they go outside and put putting their accounts and your children outside, you know, in handling corruption is all about them. And, you know, they use politics to paint agriculture, how nice and great it is. And you go down to the last farmer and they can't even produce the minimum, minimum tonnage 

Moronke: [00:20:28] because they don't have the architecture in place. 

Abanga: [00:20:30] They don't have it. I architecture in you the place. They don't have the system in place. They don't have the innovation. And hence, if you don't have that, you cannot have access. And we have tons of money that is coming into our continent for agriculture production. Yet and still at the end of the year, if you do calculations, you see a billion, something, we import rice, you know, I got to give kudos to Nigeria [00:21:00] and you know, I don't care what you say about Nigeria. We've got some brothers and some sisters over there. Who are patriotic, They love of their country. Nigeria has banned the importation of rice.  They're producing. Do you have brothers and sisters in Nigeria who love Dick and Chris? You know, other countries? I don't know. It is all about politics. You know, they use, you know, you gotta be able to differentiate to separate politics from agriculture. Agriculture is a vegan agriculture is a vegan. You know, I tell somebody, I said, look, let me tell you about something, the watch that you got, the jewelry, the shit, everything that you got on you is from the soil. And according to the good book were made out of the soil and guess what? When we die, we go back to the soil. So it tells us that [00:22:00] we are a friend of the soil and we need to take care of the soil. And when we're talking about taking care of the soil, that is agriculture. It is amazing how we have, most of all leaders have kicked the can down the road. You had to get 10 million, 20 million, a hundred million. And guess what they want to buy a number of pickups they want to do that they want to do whilst you have the peasant farmer. I tell you sixty to 80% of African farmers don't have access to tractors yet and still there are some quarters in certain countries where our great ministers are saying that they don't need mechanization. They're talking about buying cutlasses and hoes. I don't want to mention names, but I'm privileged to set them one, a great minister in a certain country. Borderless said that look, we don't [00:23:00] need for the past hundred years, we were born without machinery and we can still live without machinery.

[00:23:06] Wow. Wow. So innovation, I guess what, yes, I guess what the funding that was given to that particular country. They decided to pull it back because she decided that look, I want to go and buy cutlasses and hoes for my farmers instead of bringing in tractors. And this particular minister is not even in mechanical, a grid mechanically inclined. We got a problem and I think people will wake up to Nigeria, and emulate. We have other countries, they will give them grants and loans. And instead of pumping that money, directing that money, channeling that money to devote the peasant farmers to get them out of poverty, they used to have to buy pickups, pickups, pickups, guess what? Because they will get [00:24:00] 10% cut out of the procurement and that is sad. 

Moronke: [00:24:04] Yeah, 

Mr Abanga: [00:24:05] I think we still have people, with all this negativity, we still have people in Africa who are moving and as you can see the African department, the president wonderful brother, the brother is doing all that he can for us to move from where we are. And I gave him kudos. I give him I'm kudos the way he's taking the African Development Bank and the way it's devolving the system. He's trying his best to devolve systems, so that can get us out of this quagmire. 

Moronke: [00:24:40] On that point I want to talk about your vision and, what you do in your business and, your enterprise. And you said that your vision is to empower through innovative systems and becoming a lead agro-business enterprise in Africa, offering fair and ethical [00:25:00] business practices to empower the agricultural community, to eradicate hunger and poverty by providing mechanized and innovative systems to farmers to improve their current agricultural practices beyond mere sustenance into sustainable businesses and farming practices. So, this is a vision. 

Mr Abanga: [00:25:24] That's the goal. 

 Moronke: [00:25:25] this is the goal. So how are you up? How are you accomplishing this? I mean, that, that's considering what you've just said, that we still are lacking the architecture. how are you moving toward this goal? What are you doing?

Mr Abanga: [00:25:39] As I said, initially we are not just an ordinary agriculture firm. We are engaged in the entire value chain. And, and with this, we would need the human capital with their acquired expertise. And that is what we have assembled. 

Moronke: [00:25:58] So tell us a little bit more about [00:26:00] that. What that is and how you've, what you have. 

Mr Abanga: [00:26:04] Well, lemme talk about sustainable mechanization. We have a guided machinery that would provide land development, land preparation, seeding, planting, harvesting, the consultancy path follows around to show, to teach farmers.  For instance. We have a model in every country, like in Liberia, where we are starting in Namibia, we have a model where we have, if a pilot project for us, 1000 acres, it could be 2000 acres or 10,000 acres. We'll have 5,000 acres. And the other 5,000 acres, we are recruiting women and men who have the passion to increase agriculture production. So the pilot is where we have all the machinery that will do the production and we're getting them engaged [00:27:00] in the pilot project, teaching them number one, how to devolve your land. Number two, how to prepare your lesson. Number three, how to plant. How and when to apply your fertilizer, provide them with technical skills. Then harvesting. We bring in our machines and we have then we will buy all the produce. Now we're doing all these things because it's a pilot. Most of them don't have access to funding.

[00:27:31] So the land development that we're doing, we'll negotiate on the price to develop the land. We'll invoice them. We'll negotiate on that price to prepare the line. We invoice them. We'll negotiate on the price to give them seed. We invoice them. We'll teach them how to plant. And we'll provide a technical team.  During harvesting we come with our machines with the farmer will harvest. Then we'll total how much services that were [00:28:00] provided in the quantum of money versus what produce you have. Then we'll take part of the proceeds to cover our costs and the rest is yours. Now the question is, do we didn't have us, then the prices are low. So we have an average price. So that's the pilot that we're doing to move, to move production and actually get the system in place. When we start to do that, listen to three years, and our goal is to build commercial farmers that are equipped with an awareness of the system in terms of the architecture, the innovation. And also preparing them in terms of how to do their accountant, the agric accountant, the bookkeeping farm management farm maintenance. They put the system in together, then it will limit assets and we introduced them to banks and they can then access capital from the bank because now yeah, they are risk.

Moronke: [00:28:57] SO did I hear you say that, with [00:29:00] this pilot program, you're taking them from the beginning, from that architecture all the way to the market and, and you're, buying the product. Did you say how, how would they, when we buy the products? 

Mr Abanga: [00:29:12] Yeah. We're buying the product from them. The biggest problem in Africa is access to market, 

Moronke: [00:29:18] right?

Mr Abanga: [00:29:20] Access to market is key. That is what is killing the farmers. Access to market.  So what we say is that alone. If it's, if, if, if a kilo of rice is $1 in the market during the lean season would give you eighty cents, even though the prevailing price selling price is 16  I went to buy it and then you got, so in that sense, you'd be able to pay off your loan. Keep some for yourself and then save. So, in three or four or five years, each farmer will be equipped. Number one, they will be equipped with the architecture, equipped with the system, equipped with [00:30:00] innovation and with all the practices that have gone through. Based on what consultants or services would that expertise that will provide it to a limit their risk factors and banks will then go to them and say, look, we're giving you a loan together to get a  tractor, to get a plow, to get a hydro, to get a , to get whatever you want, 

Moronke: [00:30:20] because they have the systems in place that they need to see.

Mr Abanga: [00:30:23] They have this system. That's it. So that is the one goal. So, it's our goal.

Moronke: [00:30:29] Is this what you call, the outgrower scheme?

Mr Abanga: [00:30:33] Yeah, it's outgrower scheme but we try to, uh, we try to put it a partnership system. Partnerships, just laborers. Yeah, not just laborers working for us, but we're working together. And the goal is to grow them, to prepare them, to train them so that they can move from where they are. If they're producing, let’s say a hectare, if they get them five tons of rice per Hector,  [00:31:00] we want to then from two tones to five tones, if they're currently purchasing five tons, we want to take them from five tons to eight tons. That is the goal. And if you put in the required system, the agro system in place, definitely they will achieve that goal. And when they are hitting that target, their lives economically is going to improve, not economic in long, but their system and the architecture will be in place. You know, and can you imagine if we're able to do when to start that in two African countries, if that, if you are able to deploy that in at least half of the African countries, and we have at least a hundred thousand people who actually have system, you know, what is going to happen?

Moronke: [00:31:44] Absolutely. That's mind blowing just to, just to think about it.

Mr Abanga: [00:31:48] Do you know what is going to happen to us? Because in the next 15, 20 years, the world will look after us for food. And we better get ready. We'd better get better, get prepared. And [00:32:00] that is what A&G Agro System is doing. So, it's a challenge. It's a, it's a very big challenge even with the institutions because you know what, in doing this, you are rubbing shoulders. You are rubbing shoulders. You know, those who are dependent on the status quo, they are not in favor of this stuff. They're not in favor of this stuff. They are not in favor of what we're doing. Guess what? Because the point is that if, if there's massive production, guess what? Foreign donor funding is going to go down.

Moronke: [00:32:35] Right. I see. 

Mr Abanga: [00:32:39] And the farmers get better. Guess what? No donor is going to, we're not going to look for no donors. And that's why it is incumbent. It is very important for us to look into the private sector, to drive our agriculture, not the public sector, not the public sector, the government is an enemy to agriculture.

Moronke: [00:32:57] THat's a strong word. [the government] It's an [00:33:00] enemy to agriculture? 

Mr Abanga: [00:33:02] Yes, yes. Can you imagine,  government is supposed to put the architecture in place. It is their responsibility, not just a policy. They're supposed to make sure. Or we have dams. We have irrigation systems. They have to enforce that farmers abide by the agroecosystem so that we can, we can repel climate change. And all this money that is pouring into these government entities goes to most of these African countries. They can't even get drink and water to drink. Right. Water to drink? They can get another talk about GIM fund took the crop. 

Moronke: [00:33:43] So, so let me ask you two questions.  this partnership, which I think is amazing, first of all, from what I gather, there are a lot of women who are involved in farming?  Are they part of this pilot program? What percentage is it? [00:34:00] 80%. Wow. 80 percent are Women,  eighty percent. How, how is it? How is it that women, uh, primary in this sector

[00:34:11]Mr Abanga: [00:34:11] you know, Maybe I may be prejudice. Okay. I have a mother, I have three daughters and I have five sisters and I got brothers. I got more, I received more productive work from my sisters and my brothers. And if we can empower a woman. Women are passionate, you know? Yes they are. I'm I told you that I put up a disclaimer that I'm born to be prejudice. So I hope you will. Uh, you will not be offended, but if we are able to train 10 million women as commercial farmers in Africa [00:35:00] agriculture, commercial farmers, 10 million in Africa, within five years, africa would feed the entire world.

[00:35:09]Moronke: [00:35:09] Wow. That would be amazing.  that would be amazing. Absolutely. And I, you know, I agree with you, women are hard workers and they are patriotic, I'm on your side with that completely. 

[00:35:22] Let's do it. Let's do it So, where have you started this pilot program? 

[00:35:27]Mr Abanga: [00:35:27] The pilot project is going to be started in Liberia. We started here in Ghana, but we're moving to Liberia and Namibia. And, uh, next year, the COVID this year actually just messed up everything. So we'll look into actual launch and yes, we'll look to launch, launch it in Ghana, in the Volta region. And we'll look, look into launch it in Liberia and in Namibia big time. And look, we're going to invite you to come and see yourself with and do your own interview. We will make sure we sponsor you to bring you down here and you go to this African [00:36:00] country because some times it is, you know, one of the tenants that agriculture, it has become a football where people just kick it all around. you know, they just use propaganda, but we are getting into the real game. You know, one thing I'm not just a talk, I'm not a guy who sits down in the office, there is no machine from tractor to combine harvester I cannot operate. I  operate all of them. So, I'm on the field. Right? When I sit down on the tractor, I can sit on the truck that four or five hours plowing, harrowing, boom, spraying harvesting.  So, I'm a university agriculturalist and a farmer at the same time, and we've got to get to work. It is time for us to get to work. I learned that when we are gone our great-grandchildren are going to pass us wise way in the grave, but we've got to do something. We got to do something we've got to wake up and you know, I'm proud that we have some Africans and some people, brothers and sisters from the Caribbeans who [00:37:00] are hearing the bell that we need to wake up in they are.  It's just a matter of time. I believe that we going to catch up, we're going to catch up. 

Moronke: [00:37:07] Well, based on what you're doing, it looks like we're going to, do that very soon.  

Mr Abanga: [00:37:11] We have a partnership with one of the largest tractor manufacturers based in Belarus. This tractor company has been in existence for a hundred years.  In fact. When I was a kid 1970s, the government brought in Belarruss tractors into our countries. Some of those tractors are still working. Wow. That's how durable they are is comparable. Definitely, the engineering is compatible with our tropical climate and that's why we're partnering with them. So they are working with us. In fact,  we have signed a memorandum of Understanding to have an assembly plant in Ghana so that we'll have access. People in the country will have access. We've got, it takes six to [00:38:00] seven weeks to ship a container from Africa, from Europe, china, wherever in the world to Africa, where bye. If we have an assembly plant in Ghana producing tractors and implements from Ghana to Togo is less than four hours from Ghana to Nigeria is less than eight hours, right? From Ghana to Burkina. Faso is about. Four hours from Ghana to Ivory Coast is about four hours from Ghana to Senegal is less than 24 hours from Ghana  to Mali  is less than 42 hours. 

Moronke: [00:38:37] So it makes sense to actually produce locally and that's what you're doing. Cause you're, you're producing what 150 tractors per yes, per day again, 150 attractors per day in Belarus.

[00:38:51]And, and how many are you selling? 

Mr Abanga: [00:38:53] I think we've been able to sell we're in Africa here. I think that the number is close to 5,000 tractors then entire Africa. 

Moronke: [00:39:04] Oh, per day, per year. 

Mr Abanga: [00:39:06] Per year. 

Moronke: [00:39:07] Okay. 

Mr Abanga: [00:39:08] Yeah. 

Moronke: [00:39:08] So that means you have a lot of tractors out there then?

Mr Abanga: [00:39:11] Yeah. The company, the company that we represent. You know, we market for this company. Okay. Okay. You're marketing for them, uh, yet for yet. But the plans are to have an assembly plant where we will have control, then we can integrate our African engineers,  to do the engineering that is compatible with our climate.

Moronke: [00:39:33] Okay. So there's some kind of apprenticeship with this partnership? 

Mr Abanga: [00:39:37] Yes, definitely. We have entered into MOU into an agreement with most of the universities that our grid agriculture department to bring in their students to actually, you know, do the apprenticeship. Okay. So that is that. And, get more of our ladies into agriculture. Right. [00:40:00] In terms of training in terms of the engineering, in terms of the production, the process and the marketing. 

Moronke: [00:40:05] Okay. Which makes a lot of sense if most women are farming in any event. So, you've established affiliations with various universities to grow the labor force.

Mr Abanga: [00:40:18] When you get him back up to develop the human capital that's yeah. 

Moronke: [00:40:22] Okay. So, what are you most proud of? 

Mr Abanga: [00:40:26] I'm proud of the patriotism that the divine father has given me. I spend most of my years outside and I decided to come back so that desire and that passion that the divine father has given me to take this lead and no, maybe I may not get there, but at least I'll pave the way for us, for others to get there. 

Moronke: [00:40:47] And you said that you have you have grown kids, some of whom you're preparing to be in the business too because this is the future. As you say if the world would be looking to Africa for food, then this is [00:41:00] the industry. This is the field to be in. 

Mr Abanga: [00:41:03] Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, apart from my kids, I got other people who are not even related to me, but they share the same vision, they share the same passion. Right. And what I did is that I made them co-owners of the company. So that they have security. Right. So, we're looking for continuation, right? I just don’t want to go into the grave with all this stuff. No, I don't want to do that. So, we are developing the human capital that there will be a transition. Not necessarily my kids. You know, but I got other people who are not even related to me, but because I share the same vision, the same passion, you know, they are part of it. And in fact, we have experts. Our chief consultant is one of the renowned mechanization expect in Africa. Doctor Dr. Ali Mahama. 

Moronke: [00:41:54] I think you've put a lot on the table for us.  And I think people who are interested [00:42:00] in agriculture and probably doing what you're doing, we'll likely reach out to you and see if they can perhaps maybe join forces with you or learn from you what it is that you are sharing, because I think that. There is a great love for Africa. and, and the Caribbean. And clearly there is so much that as a people we need to do in order to to make progress in order to be self-sufficient. 

[00:42:30]Mr Abanga: [00:42:30] I just want to summarize that look this thing. This journey that we're in we got one, come on, just do it alone. We would need to be a team. We have all hands gotta be on deck. I mean, with what we have devolved innovation agriculture system that we're involved with devolve back into that is that can fit into all agric sector, that will increase production. We are open, I want to share,  I want [00:43:00] to make sure that we develop our system. We'll get out of where we are now, increase our production, get our people out of poverty, and change the trajectory of what Africa has been perceived to be. Because the first world is gone. The second world is on its way out the third world it's the last world. And that is the crucial world and that is Africa. we've got to get up. 

Moronke: [00:43:24] I agree with you. I know there are probably a lot of people in the first world that we're scaring right now. But, uh, um, but I agree with you that, we've got to do better. We've got to do better. I want to thank you so much. For taking the time to talk to us, to educate us and to give us hope really in terms of where we can be and to encourage and inspire, because that's the whole point of what's going on eyes on Africa and the Caribbean is to [00:44:00] inspire people to do better and to make the world a better place. 

Mr Abanga: [00:44:06] I want to thank you. You know what you're part of the chain. You are the driver, you are the drivers, you are the driver. And I want to just thank you and let you know that I appreciate all the work that you're doing because I don't care what we would do. If the word is not out, nobody will know what we're doing.

Moronke: [00:44:22] Absolutely. 

Mr Abanga: [00:44:23] So you, you, you, I make a factor in what is going on. And I want to thank you and let you know that we appreciate your work.

Moronke: [00:44:30] and we appreciate what you are doing too. And it's amazing work. It's important work. It's God's work. And we want to thank you for that 

Mr Abanga: [00:44:39] you're most welcome.

[00:44:40]