The Agribusiness of Snail Farming in West Africa

Awa K. Ndukwe is a Snail Farming Consultant, Digital-Brand Psychologist and Business Development Consultant.

He is experienced and had worked in different sectors like Transport, HSE (Oshacademy), Restaurants, Media, Govt parastatals etc

A lot of people know me as a brand psychologist and business development consultant, but don’t know I started this journey from “Snail Farming”.

Moderator: Before you launch into the deep of your presentation fully on snail farming. I like to ask you a few questions. You consult for businesses in Africa. How is that going with you, considering the challenges of this clime.

Guest: Well, it’s been awesome because I have experiences being in past relationships with various businesses across several sectors. So, that made it very easy for me to relate with the problems most startups might be facing.Most times the major root cause of most start up failures, all leads back to the root system which is the management.

Moderator: How at management? Could you expound?

Guest: Yes, you see? Most times, you find out that there is a gap between the management and the working force. We have good ideas in Africa really but the problem is bad leadership. The management is the captain of the ship. The captain has the vision and knows the mission but most times, you need the suggestions of the work force.

Moderator: How about followership problem? Because, our leaders are chosen from the pool of the followership. Don’t you think we need a rejik and rehaul of our followership mindset too?

Guest: If you have good leaders, you will create good followership. People immediate what you do and not what you say. As a leader you should also work more than your employees. It’s your business and not theirs. If you are lazy, they will be lazy. If you are hardworking, they will be hardworking. You create the culture of your organization.

Moderator: Africa is one of the richest continents on earth, full of natural resources starting from fuels, minerals and precious stones to all kinds of fruit and vegetables, big animals, mountains, enormous manpower, famous for its cultural heritage and hospitality and attracts tourism for its beautiful nature.

Hence businessmen from around the globe are eyeing Africa to be their next profitable investment destination.

Africa’s thriving business market is still considered young compared to other Asian, American or European markets; which makes it a great opportunity for businessmen and entrepreneurs.

Is there hope for Africa in the business space??

Guest: Yes, there is hope. I get messages daily on LinkedIn concerning investment in Africa but it depends on the kind of investment. I am not talking about importing things we should be producing because Africa needs to start manufacturing so as to create employment indigenously. We can’t keep feeding other continents while our youths suffer.

That is quite interesting. Same here at City Scope Africa. Daily messages that Inspire us to do more and assurances that the Africa of our dream is possible and achievable. Messages from Westerners especially. We will all rewrite the future of Africa. So help us God

I will start with my story and how I got into Snail farming. I am sure a lot of youths here will understand and be able to relate with my story. I can’t wait, at your story. You see? After School and not knowing where the next meal will come from, and of course so many brown envelopes.

All I had was my infinix phone, my Pet Snail and my past business experiences. I need people to know sometimes, all what you need to start with is around you. Just in front of you. I wont be able to go deep into Snail farming proper due to the time but after this class, I hope I will be able to have raised a bit of awareness and reorientation.

So, that evening, really there was no food at home and that was around August 2014. Where I lived was bushy. So, when it rains, its like living in a flooded rain forest. I saw some women picking Snails, the yorubas call it Igbin and I was shocked. They picked them with smiles all over their faces. Like manner from heaven. So, I asked one of them why they were so happy picking these snails? They told me, their season of money had come.

To cut the long story short, I followed up with this amazing movie and found out they sold 20 of these snails to someone else for 4k and the person resold it in the morning market for 6k and the morning market person sold it for 8k.

I think that was when the omo igbo in me started thinking fast. The reawakening of the inner man

How better hunger can open eyes

And as a graduate, knowing better, I researched and found out that you could even sell the same snails much more expensive with better breeding and repackaging.

Note: The snails are going extinct. So, what if you rare them and sell.

Achievements: I live in my own house now, changed cars, went from snail farming into restaurants and food business, branding, dredging, being top 50 personalities on LinkedIn, and being here as a guest lecturer.

Now the question is how did I do it? That’s a staff of mine sorting out Snails.

Snails unlike other kinds of livestock farming are to me the easiest to rare.

• They don’t smell, and you don’t need much Space.
• They also don’t die easily like poultry.
• You can start like me. In my bathroom.
• And they reproduce speedily and lay a lot of eggs

But there are techniques Snail farming like –

1- The right breeds

2- How to build the right pen

3 – The dos and don’ts in the business

4- Their feeding and so on

There are three major kinds of breeds in Africa. The African snails are called GALS (Giant African Snails) and they belong to the Archatina family. We have three types.

Archatina Archatina

Archatina Marginata

Archatina Fulica

Archatina maginatas are the next to the biggest. They are also wanted in the market but not like the first. Sometimes or most times, people don’t know the differences.

Archatina Fulica: They are the garden snails. The one you see in your compounds but not hygienic because they feed on rat feces etc. So, avoid eating them if you can unless you rare them yourselves.

So those are the major three and the snails you rare and sell in the market

Snails are cheap to rare as they feed on vegetables; Water leaf, Ugu, Watermelon, Plantain leaves, Pawpaw leaves, Garri etc.

Thank you.