The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, on Friday commissioned a modern teaching and research farm at the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University Kano. The commissioning of the farm was part of the formal launching of the Phase III of Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) Impact Project, a World bank funded project aimed at addressing development challenges facing West and Central African sub-region. The Minister also formally launched Agribusiness incubation centre for groundnut value chain constructed by the federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and donated to the Faculty of Agriculture, Bayero University Kano.

The formal launching of the Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) Impact Project was conducted by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who was represented by a Director at the National Universities Commission, Alhaji Ibrahim Yakasai. In his adress, Alh. Nanono expressed delight over the commissioning of the centre in Kano, saying there was enormous opportunities in Agriculture in Nigeria due to its vast arable land, but what was lacking is modern research institute. He reiterated his Ministry’s readiness to support the centre in order to boost agricultural production in the country. In his speech, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello, said the CDA was ranked among the best performing centres by the World Bank and Association of African Universities, owing that success to the the centre’s strong affinity to partnership and collaboration with several national, regional and international partners. Earlier in his welcome address, the Director of the centre, Prof. Jibrin M. Jibrin, explained that in 2014, the CDA won a World Bank grant of $7.8m for the establishment of a regional centre of excellence that is specialized in Dryland Agriculture, which had achieved remarkably in its 5-year term. He explained that ACE was borne out of the need to addressing the problems of the dryland region through generation of knowledge and applied research products aimed at reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security and improve natural resources among others.

SOURCE: DAILY TRUST