THE Nigerian government has approved the establishment of a new bank to help the country’s struggling agricultural sector. The Agricultural Cooperative and Rural Development Bank, formed by the merger of three existing agencies, will help the sector to expand, said Agriculture Minister Hassan Adamu. The minister did not set out how the bank would work or how it would benefit the sector. Once a food exporter, Nigeria has seen its agriculture sector collapse over the past twenty years forcing the West African state to import the majority of its food needs. – AFP