The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has announced the launch of its Institute of Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
This initiative aims to modernise and promote agriculture as a viable career path for the youth.
The institute will combine practical training, specialised curriculum, cutting-edge technology, and entrepreneurial education in agribusiness and agronomic practices.
With Nigeria facing an ageing farmer population, the NALDA Institute seeks to engage young people from primary to tertiary levels in agribusiness and professional research.
However, the Executive Secretary of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, revealed that the first campus will open in September in Aba, Abia State.
The Aba campus is equipped with a 600-capacity student sports complex, administrative blocks, libraries, laboratories, a clinic, nine solar-powered boreholes, a hostel, and 24 classrooms.
Additionally, it features a 50,000-capacity fish pond, poultry pens, a 5,000-capacity snail house, a fish hatchery, grass cutter pens, crop fields, and more.
Ikonne stated that the Aba campus will begin the 2024/2025 academic session in September. The Ogun campus is 99% complete and will start next year, while the Katsina campus is 89% complete. He emphasised the importance of attracting young people to agriculture to address food insecurity and support agribusiness.
Under Ikonne’s leadership since 2020, NALDA has achieved significant milestones, including reclaiming lands, partnering with states, and empowering youths.
The NALDA Institute will offer government-approved certificate courses in fishery, poultry, snailery, and hatchery, providing practical and theoretical training to foster self-employment and revenue generation.
Ikonne also highlighted other initiatives aimed at boosting food production, such as distributing seeds, herbicides, and pesticides to farmers, training beneficiaries in agronomic practices, and providing poultry start-up packs to women. NALDA’s mechanisation drive includes acquiring drones for aerial mapping and spraying, as well as tractors and combine harvesters for large-scale production.
However, NALDA is creating a comprehensive database of farmers to improve agricultural planning and ensure genuine farmers receive government support.
The establishment of NALDA Integrated Farm Estates in Katsina, Imo, and Borno states aims to create job opportunities across the agricultural value chain.
In Borno, the farm estate has also resettled returning Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), providing them with livestock and fingerlings for agricultural activities.