Kano state Agro Pastoral Development Project, KSADP, will finance the education of 115 youths of Kano state to study agriculture-related disciplines, the State Project Coordinator, Malam Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, has revealed.
The Project Coordinator made this known while conducting members of the project’s steering committee around some of its intervention areas, explaining that the aim is to provide the youths with the skills and knowledge necessary to drive change in the sector.
“We are going to support the training of 50 OND and 50 HND students from the State in Livestock, Crop Management and Extension in Polytechnics and Colleges of Agriculture”, he stated, adding that 10 postgraduate and 5 PhD students with specialization in Milk processing, Rangeland management and extension will be supported to pursue their studies at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Bayero University, Kano.
“This is apart from the short term training we are going to give a wide range of agricultural players including crop farmers, extension workers, vet officials, commodity associations, animal fatteners, milk processors and marketers etc. since the capacity building is a cross-cutting issue in the components of this project.”
“Our project is focusing on capacity building because we aim to support the government towards changing agriculture from a mere socio-cultural practice to a more rewarding economic venture”.
In doing its work, he said the project had received tremendous support from the Islamic Development Bank, the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, and the government of Kano state, who have been funding it and closely monitoring its activities to ensure accountability and maximum impact.
The Chairman of the KSADP Steering Committee and Deputy Governor of Kano State, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Alhaji Balarabe Hassan Karaye, said the inspection was to ensure that the project’s activities were executed not only in tune with its approved budget but also in line with global best practices.
“As you can see, we are keying in into the federal Government’s Agriculture vision, and this project is a significant step towards ensuring food sufficiency and job creation for our teeming population”.
Projects inspected by the Steering Committee include ongoing extension of KSADP office complex, mopping up of small ruminants’ vaccination at Bichi local government area, presentation of inputs to farmers under the KSADP/ SAA crop value chain intervention as well as the renovation of Watari dam and irrigation infrastructure.
