Crop, animal production to get more professionals as NBTE visits Plateau Agric college
The inspection visit by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) towards accreditation of additional courses for the Plateau State College of Agriculture Garkawa in Mikang Local Government Area raises hope for production of more professionals in the sector.
This has also stimulated excitement among the management, teachers and students of the school.
They said the accreditation of those courses will go a long way in boosting not only the academic development of the school but the agricultural sector of the state and the nation by extension.
Speaking during the accreditation inspection, the Acting Provost of the college, Rev. Nathan Akila Loks, listed the programmes presented to the board for accreditation and inspection.
“The six HND programmes for resource inspection are HND Home and Rural Economics; HND Animal Health Technology; HND Animal Production Technology; HND Crop Production Technology; HND Pest Management Technology and HND Horticultural Technology.
“Also, the programmes for accreditation are HND Agricultural Extension and Management; ND Animal Health and Production Technology; ND Horticultural Technology and ND Home and Rural Economics.
“Similarly, the programmes for the re-accreditation are ND Agricultural Technology and Institutional Administration. This exercise is very important and necessary for the growth of the institution and development of agriculture.
“We are committed in the responsibility for the necessity of food security in the nation through qualitative training to meet up with the growing challenges of food production. And we want to assure the inspection team and resource persons from NBTE of our maximum co-operation throughout this assignment,” he said.
In his remarks, NBTE Deputy Director, Dr Rufai Ibrahim, expressed the willingness of the board to support and guide the college to grow from strength to strength, stressing that the addition of the new programmes will boost crop science and animal science in the country as well as Garkawa, which is an agricultural community.
He said they will be looking into the academic content of the programmes, the curriculum and admission into the programmes, academic regulations, standard of tests and examinations, among other things.
According to Dr Ibrahim, the college has been trying its best to put up some structures as well as human resources (workforce/teaching personnel), saying that all that will also be taking into consideration as the inspection experts embarks on their exercise.
Valency Agro Nigeria Ltd, the third-largest non-oil exporter in Nigeria, has commissioned a state-of-the-art supply chain complex in Ibadan, Oyo State, as part of efforts to boost Nigeria’s long-standing quest for agricultural self-sufficiency, food security, industrial growth and greater employment opportunities for her teeming youths.
The company also laid a foundation block for a multibillion Naira processing plant for agro products to be completed in two years. The two facilities are situated in 40 acres of land which is about 30 football fields.
It was learnt that British International Investment injected an initial $15 million into Valency International Group, a Singaporean-based agricultural commodities trading house, with an option to invest an additional $35m within two years of the initial investment.
The event, which held at Elebolo village along the LagosIbadan Expressway on the outskirts of Ibadan, was graced by a cross-section of dignitaries drawn from industry, government, the diplomatic community, representatives of the local community and the general public.
The Group Chairman of the Valency Group, Mr Praveen Kumar Jain, described the occasion as the culmination of a dream that took concrete shape back in 2022 and was pursued with extraordinary vigour, passion and commitment.
The event, he said, was a natural progression from its activities, which has seen the company establish its footprint in 34 states across Nigeria. When fully operational, he disclosed, the supply chain complex would employ over 10,000 persons—over 60 per cent of whom would be female and many of whom would be drawn from the immediate catchment area.
Kumar Jain also listed other expected benefits of the complex as follows: increased export revenue for Nigeria; a far-reaching value-add profile for a wide range of agricultural produce; importsubstitution for agro-chemicals; skill development and professional growth opportunities for workers; sustainable procurement processes; more robust participation in the value chain by farmers and suppliers; and greater impact on the integration and sustainability of the Nigerian economy.
On his part, the Deputy High Commissioner of the UK to Nigeria, Jonny Baxter, hailed the involvement of BII in the project, describing it as a veritable platform to access the entire agricultural (processing and export) ecosystem at a go.
Baxter called on Valency Agro Nigeria Ltd to use its expertise and resources to advance ideas aimed at enhancing nutritional awareness and high yield among Nigerians generally, and farmers in particular.