Jane Salihu
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to transform more than 500,000 hectares of underutilised land in tertiary institutions into commercial agricultural hubs, with 40 universities, polytechnics and colleges of education expected to benefit from a new agricultural financing programme.
The initiative, known as the Renewed Hope Tertiary Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Programme, was disclosed in a press release issued on Tuesday, November 3, by Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
Under the arrangement, the Bank of Agriculture will provide between ₦1 billion and ₦2 billion in financing to each participating institution to support commercial farming, agricultural mechanisation and related activities.
Speaking during a meeting with heads of the 40 selected institutions and the management of the Bank of Agriculture, Alausa said the programme was designed to address the longstanding underutilisation of agricultural land in tertiary institutions while strengthening food production, research and entrepreneurship.
He explained that participating institutions are expected to provide approximately 1,000 hectares of land each, although institutions with smaller landholdings could also qualify based on the viability of their business proposals.
The Minister disclosed that each participating institution would establish a limited liability company to manage its agricultural operations in partnership with the Bank of Agriculture.
He added that the Federal Ministry of Education had made provision for ₦20 billion in its capital budget to support 20 tertiary institutions, while the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) had also approved funding support of between ₦1 billion and ₦2 billion for selected institutions under earlier interventions.
To improve productivity, Alausa said participating institutions would have access to 10 tractors each at significantly reduced costs, alongside modern seedlings, farm implements, irrigation facilities, water pumps, fertilisers and technical expertise.
He said arrangements would also be made with produce aggregators to guarantee markets for harvested crops and minimise post-harvest losses.
Beyond primary agricultural production, the Minister said the initiative would eventually expand into processing and other agro-allied activities to establish a sustainable agricultural value chain.
On employment opportunities, Alausa explained that students, unemployed graduates, alumni, academic and non-academic staff, as well as members of host communities, would be encouraged to participate in the farming ventures under the supervision of lecturers and agricultural experts.
He noted that the programme would provide practical agricultural experience, promote entrepreneurship and enable participants to benefit economically from the commercial activities.
The Minister projected that the initiative could attract investments running into trillions of naira over the coming years, while repositioning tertiary institutions as centres of agricultural innovation, commercial production and enterprise development.
The Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Adamu Ahmed, welcomed the initiative, describing it as an opportunity to harness the institution’s existing agricultural research and production capacity.
He identified the university’s Institute of Agricultural Research, National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services and Faculty of Agriculture as established structures that could support the commercialisation of research findings and strengthen agricultural production.
Similarly, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Oko, Dr Chioma Irene Awuzie, commended the Federal Government for the initiative, saying it would enable the institution to maximise its available land through mechanised farming and improve agricultural output.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, said the bank would provide financing and market linkages to help participating institutions commercialise agricultural research, improve productivity and generate revenue from their investments.
He added that the programme would enable tertiary institutions to contribute more significantly to food supply beyond their immediate communities while creating economic opportunities for students and unemployed graduates.
Alausa assured that the Ministry would work with the Bank of Agriculture, relevant government agencies and participating institutions to ensure effective implementation of the programme, stressing that the initiative was part of efforts to translate the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security into measurable results.
