2nd AFRILAB meeting Zoom platform, 30 September - 1 - 8 October (English) Mr. Egbe Williams, National Soil Laboratory, Federal Ministry Of Agriculture And Rural Development Kaduna, Nigeria

1. Nigerian Soil Laboratory Network (NIGSOLAN)
By
Egbe Williams
National Soil, Fertilizer and Water laboratory, Kaduna, Nigeria

2. Status of establishment: Established
Official name of the National Soil Laboratory Network: NIGSOLAN
Actual or expected procedure for establishing the National Soil Laboratory Network
(in steps):
1. Laboratories data collection across the country.
1. Inventorization visits to all identified public and private soil laboratories for on-
the-spot assessment.
1. Administration of GLOSOLAN fliers and questionnaire.
1. Names of laboratories/institutes/head of lab and contact persons sent to
GLOSOLAN and letters of participation were sent back to them acknowledging their
membership.

3. Actual or expected number of laboratories in the network: 36
Please specify if you received any help to establish the network by a donor/international
initiative/etc. (please specify) : Nigeria Institute of Soil Science under the able leadership of
Prof. V. O. Chude (Registrar) and the GSP national focal person for Nigeria, sponsored the
exercise.
Obstacles encountered
during the establishment of
the network
How did you overcome the
obstacle?
Notes
-Getting adequate
information on the existing
soil laboratories and taking
decision on which
laboratory qualifies to be
enlisted into the network.
-By the intervention of the
GSP focal person in Nigeria.
-He provided the necessary
information via the
database of the Nigeria
Institute of Soil Science.
-Establishing contact and
reaching out to all
delineated laboratories
considering the vast nature
of Nigeria.
-By the intervention of the
GSP Focal person in Nigeria.
-He provided the contact,
wrote them on our behalf
and sponsored the nation
wide Inventorization visits
to all the laboratories
enrolled into the network.

4. In case you are presenting about a already established network, please briefly report
on the main activities (including meetings) implemented by the network so far:
▪ No physical meeting has been held upon network establishment.
▪ Network was formed February 2020.
▪ Letters of participation in GLOSOLAN was sent to them March 2020.
▪ Plan was on for the launch meeting of NIGSOLAN for the second quarter of
2020 which was halted by the pandemic.
▪ However, NIGSOLAN has a Whatsapp platform for information
dissemination and idea sharing.

5. Thanks for your attention