UNIBEN, UNIJOS, UNILAG… TETFund selects six varsities for initiative to boost agriculture

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has partnered with Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) to establish the agricultural research and innovation fellowship for Africa (ARIFA) platform in Nigeria.

ARIFA is aimed at producing a new generation of fit-for-purpose workforce to re-engineer the African agri-food sector.

Speaking at a briefing in Abuja, Sunny Echono, TETFund executive secretary, said six Nigerian universities have been enlisted for the first phase of the programme.

They are Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; University of Benin (UNIBEN), University of Lagos (UNILAG), Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; University of Maiduguri, and University of Jos (UNIJOS).

The executive secretary said the Fund’s intervention in ARIFA will have a positive impact on faculties and departments across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

Echono said the initiative would bring about science-led solutions for improved livelihoods while sustaining and advancing academic excellence.

He added that TETFund has supported over 120 scholars nominated by beneficiary institutions, with most of the first-phase nominees rounding off their programs this year.

“As we celebrate the return of the first contingent of ARIFA Fellows, I would like to reiterate the commitment of the Fund towards sustaining the momentum of the program, especially as we begin to see the impact of injecting the new fellows into our educational sector, who will power the engines of TETFund ARIFA Innovation Platforms (TAIPS) across the country,” Echono said.

“As you all know, agriculture is a critical sector in Nigeria, and we must continue to invest in research and innovation to ensure sustainable growth and development. The ARIFA fellowship represents a strategic stride in this respect, and we are excited to have these highly trained fellows join us in this endeavour.

“The fellows will be applying their different expertise and knowledge in TAIPS, which will be invaluable as we work to improve the productivity and competitiveness of our agricultural industry.”

Speaking at the event, Yemi Akinbamijo, executive director of FARA, said the launch of the programme was the beginning of realisation of ARIFA training in Brazil.

Akinbamijo said agriculture is crucial to the development of Africa, adding that more than 80 percent of the working population in the continent derive their livelihood from the sector.