The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) is set to launch its Institute of Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
NALDA aims to support the growth and development of agribusiness in Nigeria by transforming it into a modern and appealing career path for the youth. This will be achieved through practical training, specialized curricula, cutting-edge technology, and entrepreneurial education in agribusiness and agronomic practices.
This initiative is expected to enhance the country’s food security, ensuring a stable and sufficient food supply in line with President Bola Tinubu’s food security agenda. The agribusiness institute also aims to introduce the younger generation, from primary to tertiary levels, to agribusiness early on, serving as a platform for professional research.
Prince Paul Ikonne, the Executive Secretary of NALDA, announced that the institutes will commence activities in September this year, starting with the Aba, Abia State campus. The campus is fully equipped with facilities needed to build a formidable school of agribusiness, including a 600-capacity student sports complex, administrative blocks, libraries, laboratories, a clinic, solar-powered boreholes, a hostel, and classroom blocks.
The Aba campus also features a 50,000-capacity fish pond, poultry pens, a 5000-capacity snail house, a fish hatchery, grass cutter pens, crop fields, tractors, handheld harvesters, and boreholes to support both the farm and the institute.
Ikonne noted, “We have students that are going to start in September; the one in Abia is fully ready and commencing the 2024/2025 academic session this September.” He added that the Ogun institute is 99% complete and will start its academic session next year, while the Katsina institute is 89% complete.
Highlighting the achievements of NALDA during his tenure, Ikonne expressed pride in the authority’s progress. He recalled how he resuscitated NALDA in 2020 without an office or staff, reclaiming lands and partnering with states to empower youths across the country, one step at a time.
