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NSIA, UK Firm Sign MoU On $496m Integrated Dairy Livestock Production In Nigeria

The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UK‑based Asset Green Ltd to advance the development of a large‑scale integrated dairy livestock production and processing platform set to transform Nigeria’s dairy industry and strengthen national food security.

READ ALSO: King Charles III Receives Tinubu, First Lady, With Full Military Honours

Signed yesterday in London ahead of the State Visit, the MoU outlines the framework for collaboration and the project‑development cost commitments leading up to the formal shareholders’ agreement.

This initiative represents one of the most ambitious integrated dairy investments ever undertaken in Nigeria.

It will combine 20,000 hectares of climate‑smart, regenerative crop and forage production with a modern 10,000‑milking cow dairy operation, supported by a state‑of‑the‑art processing plant capable of producing fresh milk, milk powders, butter, cream, and up to 15,000 metric tonnes of infant formula annually.

Designed to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported milk powder, the project will modernise agricultural practices, improve nutrition, and integrate up to 10,000 rural households into the supply chain through inclusive out‑grower schemes.

Once operational, the platform is expected to generate over $620 million annually and create 2,500 direct and 5,000 indirect jobs nationwide.

“Over a decade ago, the UK provided pivotal support to Nigeria in establishing the NSIA, offering legal and financial expertise that helped lay the foundation for its successful launch and strengthen its governance and credibility. That early institutional investment has paid dividends, helping to build a resilient Nigerian institution capable of creating jobs and driving transformational, long‑term development,” British Deputy High Commissioner Jonny Baxter said.

“The NSIA and Asset Green partnership is a powerful example of how that groundwork continues to deliver impact – a full‑circle moment that reflects the long-term economic cooperation between the UK and Nigeria and the shared commitment to deepening sustainable, private‑sector‑driven growth,” Baxter added.

Once operational, the platform is expected to generate over $620 million annually and create 2,500 direct and 5,000 indirect jobs nationwide.

The NSIA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Aminu Umar‑Sadiq, explained that with the project, Nigeria is laying the foundation for a modern, competitive dairy sector that reduces import dependence, creates meaningful jobs, and delivers long‑term value for Nigerians.

“NSIA is pleased to partner with Asset Green on this transformative investment. With a project size of almost US$500 million, this is one of the most ambitious initiatives aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s food and nutrition security in a generation.

“By combining climate‑smart farming, advanced processing capacity, and inclusive out‑grower participation, we are laying the foundation for a modern, competitive dairy sector that reduces import dependence, creates meaningful jobs, and delivers long‑term value for Nigerians,” Umar‑Sadiq stated.

Similarly, the Asset Green Ltd Director and Agrium Capital Ltd CEO, Rod Bassett, said that the partnership between NSIA and Asset Green was the business and investment innovation required to unlock the potential of the agriculture sector in Nigeria, with the development of such a future (dairy) food system.

He said that the foundation of the approach was one of collaborating with NSIA and their shared vision and purpose to establish a platform to catalyse the development of such a national strategic priority.

“We are incredibly proud to partner with Nigeria’s premier investment institution. The development of greenfield projects has consistently played a major role in our history, establishing industries or nurturing young businesses that are able to deliver catalytic transformation.

“This US$500 million greenfield investment in Nigeria’s dairy industry allows for the development of advanced and necessary infrastructure spanning the full production and supply system to enhance local production, reduce the reliance on the huge imports of dairy goods into Nigeria, deliver environmental services, and strengthen national food sovereignty and nutritional resilience,” Bassett added.

The MoU came on the sidelines of the two-day state visit of President Bola Tinubu to the United Kingdom.

Tinubu, accompanied by his wife, was received by King Charles III and Queen Camilla and was treated to a 42-gun salute by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

The Presidency had explained that the purpose of this visit was to strengthen bilateral relations and explore avenues for collaboration on issues such as immigration, trade, investment, and cultural exchange.

Wales Under-20s wing Bowen signs new Cardiff deal

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Wales Under-20s wing Tom Bowen has signed a new contract with Cardiff.

The 19-year-old has made 10 appearances for the Blue and Blacks this season and scored seven tries, including a United Rugby Championship (URC) hat-trick against Munster in Limerick.

It had been reported that Bowen’s game-breaking exploits had caught the eye of French Top 14 side La Rochelle but the rapid wing has agreed fresh terms at the Arms Park.

“As an environment, I imagine Cardiff is very hard to beat,” said Bowen, whose deal is described by the club as “long-term”.

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Bowen, son of former Scarlets fly-half Gareth, was with Bristol Bears while studying at Clifton College and signed for Cardiff in 2024, making his senior debut against Cheetahs in December of that year.

The 5ft 7in (1.73m) wing was mentioned as a potential bolter for Steve Tandy’s first Wales squad in the autumn but has been left to develop in club rugby and with the under-20s.

Bowen started all five games of his final U20 Six Nations, scoring a double in Ireland, and is poised to feature at the World Rugby Junior World Championship in Georgia this summer.

“He is a young, exciting player who is a big part of our future,” said Cardiff coach Corniel van Zyl.

“His point of difference is obviously his finishing – he has the ability to finish opportunities that not many other players could.

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Qatar says Iran missile attack sparks fire, causes damage at gas facility

Qatar’s Ministry of ⁠Interior says civil ⁠defence teams are responding to a fire at the country’s main gas facility after an Iranian attack.

In a statement on Wednesday, QatarEnergy said there was “extensive damage” following the “missile attacks” on Ras Laffan Industrial City.

“All personnel have been accounted for and no casualties have been reported at this time,” the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer added.

The announcements came hours after Iran threatened to attack oil and gas facilities across the Gulf region in retaliation for an Israeli attacks on its South Pars gasfield as the fallout from the United States-Israeli war on the country continues to escalate.

Iran’s warning was directed at Qatar’s Mesaieed Petrochemical Complex, Mesaieed Holding Company and Ras Laffan Refinery; Saudi Arabia’s Samref Refinery and Jubail Petrochemical Complex; and the United Arab Emirates’s Al Hosn Gas Field.

In a statement, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned “the brutal” Iranian targeting of Ras Laffan Industrial City.

“Qatar considers this assault a dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of its sovereignty, and a direct threat to its national security,” it said.

Elk and a taste of home on McIlroy’s Masters menu

Iain Carter

Golf correspondent
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Rory McIlroy will use one of his mother’s favourite dishes among appetisers, that also include elk, when he hosts the traditional champion’s dinner before his defence of the Masters next month.

The most recent winner at Augusta selects the menu for other past champions at an occasion which takes place in the clubhouse on the Tuesday evening of Masters week.

McIlroy’s choices include some of his favourite dishes, as well as a reminder from his dramatic 2025 victory, which ended an 11-year wait to complete the career Grand Slam of major titles.

“I think it would be pretty presumptuous to have a menu in your head before you actually win the tournament,” said the Northern Irishman.

“But I always thought about, if I win the Masters one day, what would I want it to look like? What would I like to serve?

“I felt this time around, I wanted to do something that I would enjoy, but I wanted to do something that all other champions would enjoy, as well.”

Before McIlroy and former champions such as Scottie Scheffler, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson sit down, they will have a choice of four appetisers.

“My Mum does these really, really nice dates stuffed with goat cheese wrapped in bacon, so I put those on the appetisers list. So thanks to Rosie for that one.

“In the build-up to the Masters last year, I got this big shipment of elk and I was eating a lot of that, and I didn’t want elk to be the main course because I didn’t know if everyone would like that.

“I incorporated that into the appetisers so I’m doing grilled elk sliders, which I think is fun.”

There will also be shrimp tempura and Georgia peach and ricotta flatbread with hot honey.

The starter is a nod to McIlroy’s favourite New York restaurant, Le Bernardin, where the 36-year-old always orders yellowfin tuna carpaccio.

“That’s a fun one that the club worked with me on,” he added.

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‘It’s all going to be about enjoying my week’

The five-time major champion goes back to his roots with Irish champ as a main course side dish to accompany either wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon.

“When I was a kid I used to eat champ by the bowlful, so trying to tie in a little bit of my upbringing there,” he said.

McIlroy called his choice of sticky toffee pudding a “crowd pleaser” but said he had had most fun selecting the wine.

“It’s something that I’m really into and passionate about, and I’ve started to collect wine, probably over the past decade,” he added.

His choice of a 2022 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet is the first white wine he has ever liked, while the red, a 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild from Pauillac in Bordeaux, is particularly poignant.

“That is the wine that I drank the night that I won the Masters, so obviously brings back some great memories,” said McIlroy. “Shane Lowry had a little bit to do with getting that wine, so I want to shout him out for that.”

McIlroy seems unlikely to play again before his title defence at the event, which runs from 9-12 April. He expects to feel a sense of freedom that always eluded him during his lengthy and often tortuous quest to land the famous green jacket.

“This is going to be the first time I drive down Magnolia Lane, and it’s all going to be about enjoying my week, enjoying the perks that come along with being a Masters champion – having a parking space in the champions car park, to using the champions locker room, hosting the dinner on the Tuesday night,” he admitted.

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    • 14 April 2025
    Rory McIlroy celebrates with his caddy Harry Diamond

Murphy sets up World Open tie with O’Sullivan

Mike Peter

BBC Sport journalist

Shaun Murphy set up a last-16 tie against Ronnie O’Sullivan at the World Open in Yushan with a 5-1 win over China’s Xu Si.

Murphy lost the first frame but then won the next five with two century breaks, including an 120 to win the match.

O’Sullivan moved into the last 16 thanks to a 5-0 win over Matthew Selt, with a break of 138 in the second frame.

“Some people might say he isn’t as sharp, others might say he is fresh. All this talk about an eighth World Championship. What a position to be in, some might say he has done it the right way and kept himself fresh.

“I’ve been playing well for a season or two. I’ve been running into superheroes playing unbelievable snooker.

“It is a test of perseverance, it is about mental toughness – can you keep going? With this event, the Tour Championship and World Championship to come. It is a great time to be hitting form.”

Seven-time world champion O’Sullivan, who has said a return to tournament-winning form would be the greatest achievement of his career, has a 14-4 career winning record over Murphy.

“I always prepare well. I know people question if I practise enough. Everyone has done that since I was a kid. They seem to think I just turn up,” said O’Sullivan, who lost 4-0 in his last meeting with Murphy, at the Riyadh Season Championship in November.

“I prepare harder than probably any other player and I work harder. I think people just assume I only need to get out of bed and pot balls. That isn’t the case.”

World number one Judd Trump also moved into the last 16 with a 5-2 victory over Jackson Page, while reigning world champion Zhao Xintong beat Sam Craigie 5-1.

Stuart Bingham and Jack Lisowski missed out on chances to move in the world’s top 16 and qualify automatically for the World Championship, losing 5-4 and 5-1 to Wu Yize and Mark Allen respectively.

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Championship faces financial ‘catastrophe’ warns Portsmouth owner Eisner

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Portsmouth chairman Michael Eisner has warned of a looming financial catastrophe in the Championship after Pompey became the latest second-tier club to post losses.

While the £4.36m loss for the 2024-25 financial year is relatively modest compared to rivals Hull City, who reported a £41.7m loss in December, and Coventry City, who last month posted a £21.6m loss, it follows the same uncomfortable trend.

Eisner, 84, the former CEO of Disney, fears English football has become dangerously imbalanced with the wealth of the Premier League masking the problems below.

“There are dark clouds hovering over the English football pyramid and it seems to me there could be a real collapse where only the Premier League survives,” said Eisner.

“Every single club in the Championship lost money last year. The combined operating loss of the 24 teams for the last full set of published results in 2023-24 was £411m.

“No club can survive for the long-term in this system and if that continues, catastrophe will happen.

“If the forces that control the pyramid from the top tiers to the bottom tiers do not make football more sustainable and do it quickly, those dark clouds will deliver more soaking red ink beyond what one can imagine.

“We need effective player salary cost controls, real attention to fairer distribution of media revenues and for English football to join the rest of the sports world in more advanced commercialisation of the broadcast and streaming product.

Andrew Cullen checks his watch in the stands during a Portsmouth gameGetty Images

While Portsmouth almost doubled turnover to £24.5m in their latest set of accounts, that revenue was largely swallowed up in increased squad costs after their promotion to the Championship.

As they fight to maintain their spot in the second tier this season, they remain heavily reliant on the Eisner family’s backing. They have put £54m into the club since buying it in 2017.

“It’s a crazy division to be in and one that becomes increasingly reliant on owners that continue to fund the operations,” Portsmouth CEO Andrew Cullen told BBC Radio Solent.

“The accounts show that we have required £9m already in the first half of the season from the owners to increase the player budget in the 2025-26 season.

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Having previously funded the club via share equity, the switch to loans – which began last year with an £8m arrangement – is one which has raised eyebrows amongst some Pompey fans but Cullen says there is no cause for alarm.

“I want to give a number of reassurances to supporters that no repayments have been made on these loans and there is no intention for the owners to seek any repayment on these loans for some time,” he said.

“Every other Championship club has carried debt and in Portsmouth’s case, these new loans form part of the ownership’s long-term succession strategy to ensure the long-term security of the club.”

Championship clubs are due to vote on new salary cost rules for next season which would restrict a club’s spending on players, managers and agents’ fees to 85 per cent of its revenue.

There is also a proposal to limit owners to £33m investment over three seasons with a ceiling of £15m in any one season.

‘Pompey heavily reliant on owner funding’

Andrew Moon, BBC Radio Solent commentator

Portsmouth had for many years been debt free, a rare thing for any football club.

That is no longer the case however, Michael Eisner opting to loan the club money rather than inject it as equity is understood to be about reducing the inheritance tax burden on his son’s in the future rather than anything sinister.

All the loans are from him and are unsecured. It won’t make any material difference to the running of the club in the short, medium or long term.

Portsmouth had one of the Championship’s lowest playing budget’s last season but still lost over £4m.

Eisner’s comments on the state of English football were strong. It’s hard to disagree but will anything change?

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