The benefits of proper planning cannot be overemphasised, even in Agribusiness. The future, its tendency of being uncertain due to factors which we may not have control over (especially in agriculture with variables such as changing climate conditions, production risk, financial risks, changes in government policies e.t.c) can to a certain extent be predicted, or […]
The Importance of Planning in Agribusiness. Read More »
Mu’azu Mohammad from Suddu village, Kaduna State, Nigeria has been a member of Babban Gona for the past six (6) years. He shares an emotional story of how being a member of Babban Gona prevented his leg from being amputated due to an illness. Mu’azu also spoke about how much he has benefited from being
Video: Babban Gona Impact Story – Mu’azu Mohammad Read More »
Filibus Zakariya, a member of Babban Gona from Anguwan Tanko Marmara, Kargi town of Kubau local government area, Kaduna State, shares his story of how he used to live a life of poverty with his family, working as hired hands on different farms just to ensure they had something to eat. On the days when
Video: Babban Gona Impact Story – Filibus Zakariya Read More »
As part of efforts to celebrate the season of love with the disadvantaged members of the society, Babban Gona, Africa’s largest producer of Maize has donated food and hospital materials to Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment Home School in Akoka, Lagos. Speaking at the donation ceremony, the Head, Marketing at Babban Gona, Mr
Babban Gona Donates Food and Health Provisions to Modupe Cole Memorial Home Read More »
Premium Motor Spirit also known as petrol or locally regarded as fuel in Nigeria is the country’s most consumed product from crude oil. According to data sourced from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the daily consumption of fuel in Nigeria was at 72.07 million litres in May, 2021. Majority of Nigerians use petroleum-based vehicles
Fuel Scarcity: 5 Agricultural Alternatives to Petrol Read More »
Climate change adaptation techniques – Extreme climate change events such as flooding, heatwaves and droughts threaten the productivity of farmers, which in turn affects the level of food security in the economy and the livelihood of farmers. These events may discourage farmers in rural areas and cause them to change their primary source of livelihood
2022 Climate Change Adaptation Techniques for Farmers. Read More »
The Nigerian debt capital market (DCM) provides the opportunity for institutions looking to unlock the required financing in Nigeria’s agriculture sector. In keeping with its mandate to continuously enhance its service offerings and generate long-term value for its stakeholders in the Nigerian DCM, FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited (“FMDQ Exchange” or “the Exchange”) through its Board
Happy New Year and welcome to the year 2022. The year 2021 was filled with a lot of positives for farmers and the agricultural industry, the lifting of Covid19 restrictions which affected farmers productivity in 2020; Climate Change Conference 2021 (COP26), new agricultural technologies and more. Despite these gains, there is more to be done
Agricultural Trends to Look Out for in 2022 Read More »
Rice farming is one of the most lucrative types of farming in Nigeria, although rice is classified as a cash crop for farmers, it is one of the most consumed staple foods and important cereal in Nigeria. Almost 7 million tonnes of rice are consumed per year in the country. In July 2015, when the
Interesting Facts about Rice Farming in Nigeria Read More »
Agriculture may seem like a male-dominated industry from the outside, but it is women who practice agriculture more, especially rural women and by a wide margin. Nigerian women make up about 70% of the country’s agricultural workforce and also contribute to 70% of the country’s food production. The contribution of women to the agricultural sector in
Critical Role of Women in Scaling the Nigerian Agricultural Sector Read More »
Board Director
Board Director
Michael Jainzik is a Principal Sector Economist in KfW Development Bank. From 2001 to 2011 his work focused on investing and managing equity participation in investment funds and banking institutions, and in agricultural finance and microfinance. From 2011 to 2015 he worked as Director of KfW’s office in Windhoek. In this role he helped to manage and develop KfW’s EUR 250 million portfolio in Namibia. From 2015 to 2017 he assumed the position of Head of Corporate Development in Access Microfinance Holding where he was responsible for structuring and managing a merger process between Access Holding and another corporation.
Prior to his role in Babban Gona, Michael has served as a non-executive director in Access Bank Azerbaijan (2006-2011, Chairman), Belarusian Bank for Small Business (2008-2011), Rural Impulse Fund II Luxemburg (2010-2011) and AB Bank Zambia (2011-2016).
Michael has studied Economics and Management at the Universities of Lüneburg and Witten/Herdecke (Germany) and ETEA – Universidad Loyola in Córdoba (Spain) and holds a Master Degree in Economics and Management.
Board Member
Chairman of the Board
Executive Director
Before joining Babban Gona, Lola was the Director for Trust and Safety at OLX Group, working across 30+ OLX markets to ensure that buyers and sellers can transact safely and securely on the platform. Prior to her global role at OLX, Lola was the Country Manager for OLX in Nigeria where she was responsible for driving all elements of the business including Business Development, Product Localization, Marketing and other relevant functions. OLX Group is one of the world’s leading online classifieds players. Through its brands including OLX, Avito, dubizzle and letgo, OLX Group is the home of online classifieds in high-growth markets.
These platforms are the leading destination for buying and selling used goods and services in 30 countries, and the #1 mobile app in its category in more than 20 markets. Globally ~ 11 million items are exchanged through its platforms every single month.
Prior to joining OLX, Lola spent 4 years at Google leading various Product Partnerships efforts across EMEA and Emerging Markets. Lola was one of the earliest Googlers in Sub-Saharan Africa when the technology company began its operations in the region.
Lola shaped the regional strategy, executed on several core initiatives and led business development efforts with key SSA partners including the telcos, OEMs, digital content providers and local entrepreneurs. Lola brings significant leadership experience in business development, entrepreneurship, operational transformation and product development across several industries including technology and financial services.
In addition to Africa, Lola has substantial international working experience in North America, Europe, and Asia. She also worked in the Chicago office of McKinsey & Company, where she spent time advising senior executives on extensive strategic management topics. Lola holds a Doctorate degree in Engineering from the UniversiAnnual Report 2019/2020 ty of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia. She is happily married with two kids.
Managing Director
Furthermore, he led the development and execution of Notore’s commercial strategy across West and Central Africa, preparing the company to sell one million tons of fertilizer and establish a modern seed business.
He led the effort to raise $130 million in equity and the restructuring of $360 Million in debt. Kola brings significant leadership experience in venture capital, corporate finance, business development, marketing and operations, across four continents with multiple global companies, including GE, Notore and Abiomed. In addition, Kola brings extensive public sector experience as Senior Advisor to the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture.
In recognition for his leadership in driving positive change on the African Continent, he has received several global awards including the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship, a leading leadership institute led by General Collin Powell and appointed to the Board of the African Enterprise Challenge Fund, a $250 Million fund that awards grants and repayable grants to private sector companies to support innovative business ideas in agriculture, agribusiness, renewable energy, adaptation to climate change and access to information and financial services. Kola holds an MBA (Honors) from Harvard and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Prior to Babban Gona, Kola was a Managing Director and CEO of a major subsidiary in the Notore Group, one of Nigeria’s leading agricultural conglomerates, where he raised US$24 Million to develop an integrated agricultural trading, production and processing business.
Furthermore, he led the development and execution of Notore’s commercial strategy across West and Central Africa, preparing the company to sell one million tons of fertilizer and establish a modern seed business.
He led the effort to raise $130 million in equity and the restructuring of $360 Million in debt. Kola brings significant leadership experience in venture capital, corporate finance, business development, marketing and operations, across four continents with multiple global companies, including GE, Notore and Abiomed. In addition, Kola brings extensive public sector experience as Senior Advisor to the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture.
In recognition for his leadership in driving positive change on the African Continent, he has received several global awards including the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship, a leading leadership institute led by General Collin Powell and appointed to the Board of the African Enterprise Challenge Fund, a $250 Million fund that awards grants and repayable grants to private sector companies to support innovative business ideas in agriculture, agribusiness, renewable energy, adaptation to climate change and access to information and financial services. Kola holds an MBA (Honors) from Harvard and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
