The Ministry of agriculture and Food Security, has donated Agribusiness Incubation Center, built and furnished by the ministry to the Federal University, Lokoja, kogi state.
The commissioning took place on Saturday at the main campus of the university during the 6th and 7th combined convocation ceremony of the institution.
The permanent secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, who said the government is committed to sustainable and ramp-up the momentum of the present growth in the agricultural sector by providing needed enabling environment to boost the entire efforts of farmers , entrepreneurs and investors along the entire Agricultural Value Chain.
He said more efforts are being channeled towards promoting local and foreign partnerships to boost the present level of trade and investment in agriculture as a veritable strategy for the economic diversification of our great country
The permanent Secretary noted that the Incubation centre is being established as a Special Centre of Excellence to support and promote food security in Nigeria, and to support youth and women empowerment as well as promote employment generation, wealth creation and poverty reduction through the development of viable agribusiness and entrepreneurship skills in different Agricultural Value Chains across the country.
His words, “The focus of the centre include; enhancing production capacity, value addition, quality control and standards, and opening access to local and international markets for agricultural produce. “The project is aimed at facilitating and attracting investments into the agricultural sector, ensuring survival and sustainability of agricultural -based businesses and increasing domestic food production and exports.
“The centre will serve as practical knowledge hubs where best practical skills, processes and inputs can be acquired on particular commodity. These centres will also produce young generation of successor farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs who can adapt new technologies and innovations across the segments of commodities enterprise/value chain of production, processing, storage and marketing.
“The centre is equipped to provide business basics through comprehensive training programmes along commodity Value chains and business start-ups including access to bank loans and other funds and guarantee programmes. The centre will support Market research, linkage to strategic partners, access to investors and the development of business plans and business networking etc” He assured
He noted that the Agribusiness Incubation Centre will serve as a practical and innovative approach to support and promote growth of Agribusiness, trade and investment not only in Kogi state but in Nigeria at large. “I’ m therefore hopeful that the University will explore this opportunity and make the best use of the centre and prove its support as a formidable institution in the concerted efforts of the government to grow the nation’s economy using the agricultural sector.
He therefore urged the management to embark on advocacy, awareness promotion and sensitisation of youth, women and other beneficiaries across the university catchment area and even beyond to take advantage of this project.
Earlier, the permanent Secretary was conferred with Doctorate Degree ,Doctor of letter, honaris Causa by the university for his contribution to the development of agriculture and food security in the country.
