By Omoyeni Ojeifo
The Federal Government is set to transform 40 tertiary institutions into commercial agricultural hubs, with plans to deploy their underutilised farmlands for large-scale food production, research and entrepreneurship.
The initiative, under the Renewed Hope Tertiary Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Programme, will see the Bank of Agriculture provide between ₦1 billion and ₦2 billion to each participating institution to finance commercial farming and agricultural mechanisation.
Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, disclosed this on Tuesday, at a meeting with heads of the 40 tertiary institutions and the management of the Bank of Agriculture to discuss the programme’s implementation and operationalisation.
According to the minister, the programme targets over 500,000 hectares of land across participating universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, with each institution expected to provide approximately 1,000 hectares.
“Institutions with smaller landholdings may also qualify based on the strength and viability of their business proposals,” he said.
Alausa explained that each participating institution would establish a limited liability company to work with the Bank of Agriculture in managing the agricultural investments.
He described the initiative as a practical demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to food security, a key pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Minister noted that the programme builds on earlier Federal Government interventions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which approved allocations of ₦1 billion for some institutions and ₦2 billion for others.
According to the him, under the agricultural development initiative, the Federal Ministry of Education had made provision for ₦20 billion in its capital budget to support 20 tertiary institutions.
On mechanisation, Alausa explained that participating institutions would have access to 10 tractors each at significantly reduced costs through the government’s agricultural mechanisation initiative.
The support package would also include modern seedlings, farm implements, irrigation equipment, water pumps, fertilisers and technical expertise to improve productivity and ensure efficient farm operations.
To guarantee markets for agricultural produce, arrangements would be made with produce aggregators to purchase harvested crops, while measures would be introduced to minimise post-harvest losses.
“The programme would extend beyond food production to establish a sustainable agricultural value chain, with processing and other agro-allied activities expected to form the next phase,” he said.
Alausa stressed the initiative would create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for students, unemployed graduates and university alumni, alongside academic and non-academic staff and members of host communities.
He explained that participants would work under the supervision of lecturers and agricultural experts, gaining practical experience while benefiting from the economic returns generated by the farms.
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.
He described the programme as an important step towards making universities and other tertiary institutions active contributors to Nigeria’s agricultural economy rather than relying solely on government funding for their operations.
The minister reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to working with the Bank of Agriculture, relevant government agencies and tertiary institutions to ensure the successful implementation of the programme.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, welcomed the initiative, describing it as a timely opportunity to harness the institution’s extensive agricultural research and production capacity.
He highlighted the university’s established agricultural ecosystem, which includes the Institute of Agricultural Research, the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services and the Faculty of Agriculture.
Ahmed said the partnership would provide the financing and technical support needed to translate research into commercial production, strengthen agricultural capacity and create opportunities for students.
Similarly, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Dr Chioma Irene Awuzie, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Education for the initiative.
According to her, the programme would enable the institution to maximise the use of its available land through mechanised farming, strengthen agricultural production and ensure that its land resources were put to productive use.
Also, the Managing Director/CEO of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, described the programme as an opportunity to channel sustainable financing into the agricultural potential of tertiary institutions.
He explained that the bank would support participating institutions with financing and market linkages, while helping to commercialise agricultural research, improve productivity and create opportunities for students and unemployed graduates.
Sotinrin added that the initiative would enable universities to contribute to food supply beyond their immediate communities while generating revenue from their agricultural investments.
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