By Godfrey AKON
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono, has said the fund stands ready and willing to collaborate with Federal University of Vicosa, UFV, Brazil, and other relevant agencies to consolidate the Agricultural Research and Innovation Fellowship for Africa, ARIFA Partnership Platform, APP.
Echono gave the assurance at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, FARA, TETFund, and UFV first ARIFA Symposium held in Vicosa, Brazil between 25th and 30th April, 2022, with the theme “Pedagogic Retooling Strategy for Africa’s Agricultural Research and Innovation System: Lessons from Brazil.”
The symposium was aimed at strengthening alignment, partnership, and coordination, among current ARIFA partners: FARA, UFV, and TETFund.
The TETFund boss said Nigeria’s partnership with Brazil in agriculture was a huge benefit that would help improve research framework and retool the research infrastructure available in Nigeria.
According to him, to strengthen the relationship with UFV, TETFund had sponsored people to Brazil to understudy its agricultural research and innovation and to gain knowledge on how to modernise Nigeria agriculture especially through deployment of science and technology.
While maintaining that it was not enough to produce many Graduate Cohort Compacts without replicating the acquired knowledge locally, TETFund is focusing on those graduates who will practice commercial agriculture.
“The attempt is to imbibe the culture of excellence and see how to replicate it home. We are engaging Visoca and Eight universities for transfer of knowledge. Despite all the gaps and challenges, we must pull through and appreciate Visoca for assisting Africa,” he said.
Assuring that TETFund will double effort in accelerating the process of transformation in Nigerian agricultural sector, Echono assured that the use of science and technology will be deployed, Centre of Excellence, other relevant agencies in the country for even transformation.
Also, speaking, the Ambassador of Nigeria in Brazil, Prof. Mohammad Ahmad Makarfi, said the Symposium and the partnership will benefit Nigeria government as it meets Presidents Mohammadu Buhari’s agenda which anchors on ensuring food security.
Markafi said the Buhari’s agenda on food security could be achieved through deployment of science and technology in agricultural research.
“Deployment of science and technology on agricultural research will enhance production of rice and production of other agro-food and reduce importation of food in the country. We want our participants especially those who are studying to gain knowledge, acquire skill and come home to localise it, deploy profitably. We want to match academic performance with economic needs of our country to achieve food security and sustainability,” he said.
