WAIFEM organizes a Regional Course for Data Analysis

 

In its bid to build sustainable capacity for debt, research, macro economic and financial sector management in the member countries, The West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, WAIFEM is organizing a five day regional course from February 17-21 2014 on Data Analysis for Research,macro-economics and debt management using advanced Microsoft excel 2010 at the WAIFEM headquarters in Lagos

According to the Director General, Prof. Akpan Ekpo, the course represents an important opportunity to broaden and deepen the understanding in the use of Microsoft excel to enhance work efficiency in offices adding that the course is tailored towards advanced data analysis and reporting in excel. ” It is designed to enable participants learn powerful techniques used to analyse large disjointed and incoherent data collected from actual scenarios.

Prof Akpan also said that the course will enable participants acquire unique, time tested skills to quickly extract valuable information from data sets as well as polish reconciliation skills and empower participants to harness the power of the pivot table and other special data extraction functions in excel

He continued by highlighting the course structure and modules which includes an Overview of Excel, Working with formulas and functions, Understanding cell referencing, Link formulas and scenario analysis, consolidating data and introduction of data analysis.

Others includes formatting in excel, DKH data analysis methodology and creating user friendly templates, variance/trend, excel tables and charts and introduction of VBA and Macro

Prof Akpan urged participants to seize the opportunity of the course to forge and strengthen their professional network within the sun-region.

The five day events have participants from Ghana, Gambia, Sieraleone and Nigeria.

The facilitator of the regional course, Mr David Brown said that course is a structured methodology that will improve their efficiency at work. In terms of data storage. The courses will give room for analysis and the course will expose participants to new technology that will save time and stop them from copy and paste. He also said the excel is a powerful software that enable users manipulate the back end and adjust the front end which is the report.

He continued by saying that excel is the 2nd most popular software program and about half a billion people use excel on a daily basis

According to Brown! Research has shown that Microsoft excel is one of the software that is mostly used in the work environment and is the most powerful and important software adding that excel provides enormous capacity to do quantitative analysis, statistical analysis of databases with hundreds of thousands of records to complex estimation tools with user-friendly front ends

He said that excel also provides an intuitive interface that let’s user see what happens to the data as its been manipulated.

Africa’s biggest maker of ethanol from cassava says IITA technologies are helping farmers to double yields

 

Allied Atlantic Distilleries Limited (AADL), Africa’s biggest maker of ethanol from cassava, says improved varieties and best-bet agronomic practices in the production of cassava, which it obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and passed on to farmers have almost doubled the yield of the root crop, making it possible for farmers to supply more of this raw material to the industry than earlier expected.

Commissioned on 30 January (Thursday) in Lasada, Igbese community in Ogun State, the ethanol factory will produce 9 million liters per annum  of extra neutral alcohol, requiring approximately 250 tons of cassava per day.

Already over 8,000 farmers located within 70-km radius of Igbesa covering Ogun and Oyo states, southwest Nigeria, have been engaged and the factory is providing more than 40,000 indirect jobs to people in the area, Mr Ola Rosiji, Chairman of AADL said.

 “With the support of IITA, our farmers have doubled their yields from an average 12 t/ha to 22 t/ha; our farmers now earn double what they would have earned,” he added.

Commending the board and management of the company, Dr Kenton Dashiell, IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships & Capacity Development, representing Director General Nteranya Sanginga, said the inauguration of the factory was indeed a good opportunity for Africa, and especially cassava growers, who now have more markets for their produce.

 He said that the factory would create jobs, attract foreign investment, and create wealth for the people, adding that IITA is willing to partner with the private sector to lift 11 million people out of poverty and also reclaim and put into sustainable use 7.5 million hectares of degraded land.

   Collaboration between IITA and AADL, a subsidiary of the Lexcel Group, began in the early 2000s when the project was conceived and IITA provided inputs to the feasibility study of the investment. Also under the Cassava Transformation Agenda, which is being coordinated by Dr Richardson Okechukwu, IITA is again linking farmers to the factory. In addition, the Institute is also providing training and improved planting materials and technical advisory support to the firm.

HarvestPlus Country Manager Paul Ilona said the factory would change the outlook of cassava from the global perspective of “a poor man’s crop” to an industrial crop.

The Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun commended IITA for the good work it has been doing to improve the lives of people in Africa.