NAN-AE-2
Entrepreneurship
By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko
Ibadan, Oct. 30, 2017 (NAN) Prof. James Adediran, Executive Director, Institute of Agricultural Research & Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, has called for a review of the curriculum of the country’s educational institutions to include entrepreneurial skills.
Adediran, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Monday, said that the curriculum review, if implemented, could address the problems confronting the country’s agriculture sector.
He also underscored the need to identify relevant stakeholders and make them to become proficient in developing and nurturing agricultural entrepreneurs.
He said that the country’s agricultural research centres, which should play pivotal roles in the proposed policy, should be well-equipped with appropriate technologies to enable them to create new products through value addition.
“Capacity building is also the responsibility of specialised centres such as the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED), while the establishment the centre across the country is an added advantage,” he said.
Adediran said that the government’s intervention in providing policy direction to address emerging challenges in the agriculture sector was crucial to efforts diversify the revenue base of the economy.
He said that the government’s agricultural policy should be geared towards attaining self-sufficiency in food supply, food sufficiency and food security, while promoting increased use of modern technology in agricultural production to boost productivity.
“This, in turn, will discourage heavy dependence on food importation.
“It will also serve as a tool for income generation, employment and wealth creation, while attracting foreign direct investments and reducing poverty in the country,” he said.
Adediran said that the development of the agriculture sector could also stem rural-urban migration of the youth.
“The only thing required is the commitment of all stakeholders — the three tiers of government and the citizens – in efforts to implement whatever programme that is put in place to revamp agriculture,” he said.
The executive director said that IAR&T was ready to support any initiative that was designed to promote agriculture whenever it was called upon to do so.
Adediran said that the institute was a hub for modern technology applications for soil management, crop production and animal rearing.
“It has the capacity to train, empower youths and women in agricultural production as well as agro-preneurship; our support for extension services, provision of quality seeds to farmers is equally formidable,” he said. (NAN)
CC/KOO/OOK
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Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa and Dayo Komolafe