Bayero University Kano has opened a research farm as part of its mandate as a World Bank designated Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) in Dry land agriculture.
The formal launching of the third phase of the ACE Impact Project was conducted by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who was represented by Director of Public Communications at the National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr Ibrahim Yakasai on Friday.
It was however the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Muhammad Nanono, who commissioned the modern teaching and research farm at the BUK Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA).
EduCeleb.com reports that the ACE is a World bank funded project aimed at addressing development challenges facing West and Central African sub-region.
The CDA at BUK had in 2014 won a World Bank grant of $7.8m for the establishment of a regional centre of excellence that is specialized in Dryland Agriculture.
Its Director, Jibrin Jibrin, explained in his address to the audience that the centre was borne out of the need to addressing the problems of the dryland region through generation of knowledge and applied research products aimed at reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security and improve natural resources among others.
Also at the event, the agriculture minister formally launched an Agribusiness incubation centre for groundnut value chain constructed by the federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and donated to the Faculty of Agriculture, Bayero University Kano.
In his address, Mr Nanono expressed delight over the commissioning of the centre in Kano, saying there was enormous opportunities in Agriculture in Nigeria due to its vast arable land, but what was lacking is modern research institute.
He reiterated his Ministry’s readiness to support the centre in order to boost agricultural production in the country.
BUK Vice Chancellor, Muhammad Yahuza Bello, revealed that the CDA was ranked among the best performing centres by the World Bank and Association of African Universities.
Bello, a professor, attributed this success to the the centre’s strong affinity to partnership and collaboration with several national, regional and international partners.
