Projects – IINNL

IINNL Projects

1. Naija Digital TeleCommunications Ltd. (Digital On-Line Broadcasting Project)

This entity was incorporated with the sole aim of building an On-Line Digital Broadcast platform that can support a capability to distribute every form of media services for consumption free and on pay platforms to participate in sharing credible information and distributing responsible content and to be an active participant in the Digital Broadcast space fully supportive of the needs of the North and Nigeria.

2. Pyramid Commodity Exchange Limited Project

Executive Summary

For a sector that represents close to 40% of GDP, the development of the agricultural commodity marketspace in Nigeria has been bedeviled by sector-wide constraints to productivity. These include;
Subsistence nature of agriculture in Nigeria, characterized by low yields with farmers earning less than $2 per day while being responsible for 90% of the output,
Most farmers cultivate less than 2 hectares per farming season and practice low input-output production leading to lower yields,
Poor agricultural pricing policies,
Poor post-harvest handling and consequentially high loss rate.
Poor Access to Finance with less than 2% of bank lending to agriculture and less than 1% of farmers owning bank accounts

Any platform attempting to bring some level of efficiency to the commodities market would have to provide solutions that address the following:-

A readily accessible market for agricultural produce,
Standard quality descriptions to allow for contracting sight-unseen,
An efficient storage network for the holding of produce,
A payment system that protects both the interests of buyers and sellers on the platform,
Lower intermediation costs than what currently obtains in the market today, etc
Pyramid Commodity Exchange Limited was set up in January 2019 to address these problems and harness the opportunities presented by agricultural markets in Nigeria and West Africa.

Commodity Markets:-

A commodities market is a medium for connecting buyers and sellers of commodities. It may be formal or informal, have a physical location with central trading places or virtual without a specific trading location. A commodity exchange provides a structured mechanism for trading in designated commodities. Commodities contracts are created with standardized features, which thereafter become tradable financial instruments. The commodities traded may or may not be for delivery and indeed in many exchanges, most trades are not for physical delivery. Commodity exchanges tend to gravitate from spot market to forward to the more complex derivatives market.

While commodities exchanges have existed for more than a century in some developed countries, they are a more recent phenomenon in developing countries. In Africa, most exchanges, with the exception of the defunct Egyptian Commodities Exchange, which was established in the 19th Century, are relatively very recent initiatives.

Benefits of Commodity Exchanges;

Facilitate industrialization by efficiently linking commodities to industry,
They create employment and raise the living standard of the farming community as opportunities are provided for better access to market and price information which allows farmers make better selling decisions. This could in turn mitigate rural - urban migration.
Aid in financial inclusion as small holder farmers get exposed to financial services such as bank deposit and credit facilities.
Attract more players into agribusiness and boost agricultural production as value is seen and derived from the exchange.
Reduce the exploitative influence of intermediaries who leverage price asymmetry to make abnormal profits in less transparent markets.
Commodity exchanges provide rules and regulations, which bring order to the market. This in turn forces and encourages producers, including farmers, and traders to meet the ethical and quality standards of the market.
By making market information such as price, quantity and quality regularly available, commodity exchanges create liquidity and facilitate price discovery, by attracting investors to the market.
Incentivize the use of storage facilities which can help minimize post-harvest losses
Through grading and standardization of commodities, commodity exchanges promote high standards of quality thereby boosting national and international trade.
Commodity exchanges provide risk management tools; enabling farmers and industries to hedge against possible adverse price fluctuation.
They promote agricultural produce financing and development of warehouse receipts which can enable farmers including small holder farmers borrow against the commodities in the warehouse;
Commodity exchanges can also assist in moderating consumer prices because of their ability to drive up agricultural production;
They provide opportunity for securitization of commodities through the warehouse receipt system, which can also be used as collateral to unlock finance from financial institutions;
They provide opportunities for investment in the commodities value chain such as warehousing, assaying services, brokerage and logistics.
They promote the development of derivative markets as derivative instruments with commodities as the underlying instruments are developed with the attendant benefits such as permitting farmers and others to hedge their investments

Tradable Commodities on the Exchange;

Commodities must meet the following broad criteria to qualify to be traded on an exchange:
Units of the commodity be Homogeneous or interchangeable and grades must be standardized,
The supply and demand should be large enough for the interplay of normal factors of supply and demand, and both uncertain and subject to wide fluctuations from season to season,
The flow of the commodity to markets must also be substantially free and unhampered by artificial restraint,
The commodity must be able to be stored for long periods of time to meet the requirements of the market in times of scarcity, etc.

3. Medical Diagnostics Laboratories Project

Absence of such facilities in many cities and towns of the North prompted the need for every effort by the IINNL in collaboration/partnership with others to provide such services to as many such cities and towns as possible. This will help such served communities access to Diagnostics Reports that have integrity, credibility and can be relied upon by any reviewing Doctor locally or through our planned Tele-Medicine Platform for such support to users of our facilities. The Project is still in conceptual state and progress shall be updated as it is recorded.

4. Queen Amina University Project

BACKGROUND

The proposal to establish Queen Amina University, Kaduna was borne out of the desire by the promoters of the University who recognized the demand for quality education in Nigeria and began consultation on the need for the creation of a Private University in Kaduna under a joint consortium. As a consequence of establishing the consortium, and promising activities, a climate of cooperation was established among the stakeholders. It is based on this collaboration that the promoters of the proposed Queen Amina University, Kaduna have agreed and formalized the process of establishing the private university where they can contribute their quota towards the growth, development of, and increased access to university education in Nigeria.

Essentially, the mission of the proposed Queen Amina University is to provide a state of the art set of Teaching and Research Facilities for the training of high level manpower in various academic, professional and vocational disciplines in an academically sound ambiance that will facilitate the simultaneous development of their mental and physical faculties, towards the production of globally competitive and academically sound graduates, with skills and value systems. The products of the proposed Queen Amina University would be globally competitive, highly knowledgeable, enterprising, independent, self-employable and skilled job creators and not job seekers, in the nation's sustainable development efforts who will be well equipped to impact positively on the development of their communities, the Nigerian society and the world at large.

REASON FOR THE CREATION OF THE PROPOSED QUEEN AMINA UNIVERSITY, KADUNA;

The trends in tertiary education in the regional and global environment reflect an opportunity for Queen Amina University, Kaduna to play a key role in developing students and preparing them, based on academic excellence, moral integrity and uprightness, for successful lives and careers relevant in a globalized world. It will entrench the best teaching and research practices in the provision of industry-oriented programs which will ensure a competitive edge to the current higher education system in an atmosphere of excellence in morals, orientation, action, speech, attitudes and universally acceptable norms,

The overall goal of Queen Amina University, Kaduna is to be a center of excellence in conventional university, using unconventional approach to education delivery, to be renowned for outstanding contribution to society through the pursuit of excellence in learning and research at the highest international levels. The proposed Queen Amina University, Kaduna is intended to be modern lCT-based research oriented and positively focused conventional University that shall create a dynamic university community of diverse ethnic, religious, and national origins, living in harmony, peace and moral respect within itself and the surrounding towns and villages in the immediate neighborhood.

It is important to signal the benefits of having the Queen Amina University, Kaduna as a Centre for innovation in technology and combined with intense entrepreneurial activity that will train the students to be creative and innovative in terms of both current and future needs or the ever-increasing global competitive Education delivery environment.

The University will serve as a gateway institution both within the Northern region, the country and globally, by serving as a hub for local and global talent for cross-disciplinary research, entrepreneurship and innovation, business-university partnerships, and global leadership.

THE PROPRIETORSHIP OF THE UNIVERSITY;

By the recommendation of the National Universities Commission, private Universities can be established by individuals or foundation. Accordingly, there is need to register the Queen Amina Holding Company Limited by individuals as the owner of the Queen Amina University, Kaduna along with the following three (3) companies:

The Queen Amina Hostels Limited: This is the hostels company that will build and operate and possibly manage the University hostels for both male, female and married women, The Queen Amina Properties Limited: This is a properties development company that will develop gated housing estate near the university and sell houses to the University community and rent out some for income.

The Queen Amina Catering Services Limited: This catering service company will partly be owned by the University and partly by investors who will be providing catering services to the university and its community,

The promoters of the Holding Company and its Subsidiaries will be the following who have Invested in the Rigachikun Site of the Project:

Falalu Bello (Chairman)
Bashir A. El-Rufa’i (Vice Chairman)
MBS Merchants Ltd.
MFB Property Ltd.
Misbahu Bello,
Nu'uman B. Dambatta,
Tanimu Zailani,
Suraj B. Yakubu,
Tijjani S. Abbas,
Maryam F. Bello,
Sani T. Zailani,
Ahrned Hassan,
Bello Usman,
Abubakar S. Sambo,
Aisha Dankani,
Ladi Hamalai,
O. Omuya,
Mike O. Ogirima,
Nura Mohammed,
Adamu Janfalan,
Owo Toks,
Alto Sada,
Rabiu Garba

LOCATION OF THE UNIVERSITY;

The proposed Queen Amina University is planned to he established with two different campuses:

A city campus to be situated on a 28.9-hectare land in Rigachikun, in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, along Kaduna-Zaria Expressway (opposite Nigerian Turkish College, Kaduna) while a permanent site shall be situated on a 136-hectares piece of land at Ipira, behind Kaduna International Airport.

PROPOSED TAKE-OFF FACULTIES AND DEPARTMENTS.

The City Campus is expected to start with the College of Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Science. The College of Medical Sciences will mount degree programs in Medicine, Nursing, Radiography, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Physiotherapy while the Faculty of Science will have courses in Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Computer Applications. Arrangements for a Teaching Hospital will commence along with the provisions for Lecture halls, Laboratories, Offices, Libraries, Students Centre, Hostels and the Institution's Administrative Block.

The permanent site developments will commence in phase three with the Faculties of Pharmacy, Agriculture, Law, Engineering as well as Social and Management Sciences.

Phase three of the proposed institution will see to the development of the Faculties of Environmental Sciences and Education as well as the University Farm showcasing intense integrated agricultural practices with focus on agriculture for business and on the concept of Zero Emissions Research Initiative (ZERI). The permanent site will also host the University's Entrepreneurial Centre where the students will be oriented towards becoming more job creators rather than job seekers. In addition, the University will acquire some major facilities that are needed in several Science and Applied Science disciplines and put them at the University’s Central Laboratory which will be used by staff and students of the institution and from other institutions after payment of some moderate charges.

THE PROJECTS AND IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE (PIC);

One of the major requirements of the National Universities Commission for groups wishing to establish private universities is the setting up of a Projects and Implementation Committee (PIC) which for the proposed Queen Amina University shall be as follows:

A. S. Sambo Chairman
M. O. Ogirima Vice Chairman
A. Yadudu
1. Sulaiman
M. Dauda
S. U. Adamu
N. K. Abdullahi
A. M. Janfalan
A. Kassim
Y. S. lbrahirn
A. B. Abubakar
A. 'I'afida
(Dr.) Alto Sada
Suraj B. Yakubu
Chief J. O. Omuya
A. Sambo
I. I. Kankara
O. Falope
A. S. Arninu
Z. L. Kankiya
A. Hassan
M. I. Kubau (Member/Secretary)

The terms of reference of the PIC are:

To midwife all processes for obtaining the operational license of the proposed Queen Amina University. Kaduna (QAU-K):
To undertake the production of the planning documents necessary for licensing of the proposed QAU Kaduna, that is the draft Academic Brief, the draft Master Plan and the draft University Law;
To serve as liaison between the proposed University with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and to interact with the Commission on all matters relating to the Proposed University;
To supervise the development of physical facilities at the site of the proposed University necessary for obtaining its operational license with the approval of the Promoters Committee.
To engage consultants in consultation with the promoters necessary for carrying out its Responsibilities.
To be ambassadors of the proposed university and to interact with and solicit needed support from all stakeholders toward successful take-off of the proposed University;
To keep the promoters in complete picture of its actions and to periodically brief the promoters on progress being made.
To create necessary sub-Committees of the PIC with the approval of the Promoters Committee; and
To undertake all other actions necessary for the successful take-off of the proposed University.

5. Regional Bank (Participatory Bank) Project

The proposed Participatory Bank of Nigeria Limited, or a regional Profit and Loss Bank with initial capital or minimal funding required to start up PBN of N10-billion. The Promoters are still designing a strategy at meeting the regulatory requirements.

Get Involved with IINNL

At IINNL, we believe that sustainable development is a collective effort. Whether you’re an individual, organization, or investor, there are many ways to get involved and make a difference. Explore the opportunities below and take the first step toward contributing to Northern Nigeria’s growth.