By Adeola Kunle
The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to advance President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security, with 40 tertiary institutions selected to benefit from the Renewed Hope Tertiary Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Programme.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during a meeting with the heads of the 40 beneficiary institutions and the management of the Bank of Agriculture to discuss the implementation and operational framework of the initiative.
The programme is designed to transform more than 500,000 hectares of underutilised land across tertiary institutions into productive agricultural hubs for commercial farming, research, entrepreneurship and employment generation.
Dr Alausa described the initiative as a practical expression of President Tinubu’s commitment to food security, one of the major pillars of the Renewed Hope Agenda. He explained that the programme would address the longstanding challenge of underutilised farmland in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education by providing access to financing, modern machinery, technical expertise and institutional support.
According to the Minister, participating institutions are expected to make approximately 1,000 hectares of land available for agricultural production. However, institutions with smaller landholdings may also qualify, provided they present viable and convincing business proposals.
Under the proposed arrangement, each participating institution will establish a limited liability company to collaborate with the Bank of Agriculture. The bank is expected to provide between ₦1 billion and ₦2 billion in financing per institution to support farming activities, agricultural inputs and related operations.
Dr Alausa explained that the initiative builds on previous Federal Government interventions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which approved agricultural funding for selected institutions, with some receiving allocations of ₦1 billion and others ₦2 billion.
He further disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education had earmarked ₦20 billion in its capital budget to support 20 tertiary institutions under the agricultural development initiative.
On mechanisation, the Minister said participating institutions would have access to 10 tractors each at substantially reduced costs through the government's agricultural mechanisation initiative.
The support package will also cover improved seedlings, farm implements, irrigation equipment, water pumps, fertilisers and technical assistance to enhance productivity and ensure efficient farm management.
To guarantee reliable markets for farm produce, arrangements will be made with produce aggregators to purchase harvested crops. Measures will also be introduced to reduce post-harvest losses and improve the overall commercial viability of the farms.
The Minister emphasised that the programme extends beyond increasing food production, noting that the long-term objective is to establish a sustainable agricultural value chain. Processing facilities and other agro-allied enterprises are expected to feature in subsequent phases of the initiative.
He identified agriculture and agro-allied businesses as major avenues for employment creation, particularly for Nigeria's growing youth population. Through the programme, students, unemployed graduates and university alumni will have opportunities to participate in commercial farming alongside academic and non-academic staff and members of host communities.
Under the supervision of lecturers and agricultural specialists, participants are expected to acquire practical farming experience, develop entrepreneurial skills and benefit economically from the returns generated by the agricultural enterprises.
Dr Alausa projected that the initiative could attract investments running into trillions of naira in the coming years. He said it would reposition tertiary institutions as centres of agricultural innovation, commercial production and enterprise development, enabling them to generate additional revenue rather than depend exclusively on government funding.
The Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Professor Adamu Ahmed, welcomed the programme, describing it as a timely opportunity to harness the institution's extensive agricultural research and production capabilities.
He highlighted the university's established agricultural infrastructure, including the Institute of Agricultural Research, the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services and the Faculty of Agriculture.
Professor Ahmed noted that the partnership would provide the financial resources and technical support required to translate research findings into commercial agricultural production, strengthen institutional capacity and expand opportunities for students.
Similarly, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Oko, Dr Chioma Irene Awuzie, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu and the Minister of Education for introducing the initiative.
She said the programme would enable the polytechnic to make better use of its available land through mechanised farming, increase agricultural output and ensure that its land resources contribute meaningfully to productive economic activities.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, described the initiative as an opportunity to channel sustainable financing into the agricultural potential of tertiary institutions.
He explained that the bank would provide participating institutions with financing and market linkages while supporting the commercialisation of agricultural research, improving productivity and creating economic opportunities for students and unemployed graduates.
Sotinrin added that the programme would enable universities and other participating institutions to contribute to food supplies beyond their immediate communities while generating revenue from their agricultural investments.
Reaffirming the Ministry's commitment to the initiative, Dr Alausa assured stakeholders that the Federal Ministry of Education would work closely with the Bank of Agriculture, relevant government agencies and participating institutions to ensure effective implementation and the achievement of the programme's objectives.
He stressed that the Ministry remained committed to converting President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda into measurable outcomes through increased agricultural production, improved institutional capacity, youth empowerment and sustainable economic opportunities.
The Minister said the ultimate objective was to position Nigeria's tertiary institutions as major contributors to the transformation of the agricultural sector while supporting national food security and building a more prosperous economy.
Adeola Kunle
No comments:
Post a Comment