The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono has inaugurated the technical committee on the revitalisation of extension services workers, stating that agricultural development in Nigeria requires an integrated approach to revive extension advisory services.

The minister noted that the programme would stimulate technology adoption and embed Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) towards improving food requirements and industrial expectations.

Speaking during the inauguration in Abuja, Nanono charged the committee to design a system of training agricultural extension workers in the next 2 years and to recommend measures for the upgrading and retooling of extension training institutions across the country.

The minister further said the committee would assist the ministry in developing a workable framework and actionable programme for the training of 75,000 extension workers in collaboration with States’ Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs).

Nanono stressed the need to review extension services training modules and practices implemented in Nigeria with a view to making them more effective.

Responding on behalf of the committee, the chairman, who is the Director, Extension Services in the ministry, Frank Kudla, pledged that the committee would work assiduously to deliver on its mandate.

The technical committee is made up of the following members: Frank S. Kudla, Director, Extension Services, Chairman, Karima I. Babangida, Director, Federal Department of Agriculture, Prof. M.K Othman, Director, NAERLS, Prof. Sani Miko, Director, SASAKAWA, Rose Idi, Resource Person, ADP,Bauchi, Dr. Oyebanji O. Olumide, Resource Person, Umar Wali, Resource Person/HMA Office/Secretary

Terms of reference of the committee includes to examine proposals submitted and international best practices in extension services and draw key learning points, to recommend immediate actionable model of training of 75,000 extension workers in 2020, to develop a workable framework for engaging and working with the states in the continuous training and retraining of extension services workers.

Others are to recommend how to integrate and use the national farmers helpline centre with 6 zonal centers for real time information dissemination, updates, feedbacks and capacity of farmers and relevant stakeholders to developing mechanisms for the implementation of recommendations, including monitoring and evaluation, and to make other recommendation that would help in fast tracking the complete transformation of extension services in Nigeria.

SOURCE: TRIBUNE