From Victoria Jigah Abuja
Forty tertiary institutions across Nigeria, are to receive between N1 billion and N2 billion each to boost agricultural production, under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Tertiary Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Programme
Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, announced this in a statement in Abuja.
According to the statement, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during a meeting with heads of the 40 beneficiary institutions and the management of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), to discuss the implementation of the programme.
Alausa said the programme would harness more than 500,000 hectares of land across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for commercial farming, agricultural research and enterprise development.
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He explained that each participating institution would establish a limited liability company to partner with the Bank of Agriculture, which would provide between N1 billion and N2 billion in financing for agricultural production and related inputs.
According to him, institutions are expected to provide approximately 1,000 hectares of land each, although those with smaller landholdings may qualify based on the viability of their business proposals.
The minister disclosed that each participating institution would also have access to 10 tractors at significantly reduced costs, alongside fertilizers, irrigation equipment, water pumps, farm implements and technical support.
He said the programme would build on previous government interventions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which had approved N1 billion for some institutions and N2 billion for others.
Alausa added that the Ministry of Education had also provided N20 billion in its capital budget to support 20 tertiary institutions under the agricultural development initiative.
To ensure that farmers have ready markets for their produce, he said arrangements would be made with produce aggregator to purchase harvested crops and minimise post-harvest losses.
Beyond food production, the minister said the initiative would create opportunities for students, unemployed graduates, alumni, academic and non-academic staff, as well as members of host communities to participate in commercial farming.
He said the programme would also promote agricultural entrepreneurship, practical learning and employment, while positioning tertiary institutions as contributors to Nigeria’s agricultural economy.
Alausa projected that the initiative could attract investments running into trillions of naira in the coming years, adding that processing and other agro-allied activities would form subsequent phases of the programme.
The Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, welcomed the initiative, saying it would help the institution translate its agricultural research and production capacity into commercial activities.
Similarly, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Oko, Dr Chioma Awuzie, said the programme would enable the institution to maximise its available land through mechanised farming and improve agricultural production
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, said the bank would provide financing and market linkages to support the participating institutions.
He said the partnership would help commercialise agricultural research, improve productivity, generate institutional revenue and create employment opportunities for young Nigerians.
Alausa assured that the ministry would work with the Bank of Agriculture, relevant government agencies and participating institutions to ensure the effective implementation of the programme.
