Nigeria inaugurates facilities for agric training institute

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, has inaugurated the regional offices and hostels for Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) in Abuja.

A statement by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Chief Information Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, announced this in Abuja.

Abubakar said this would fast-track agricultural techniques, boost production and generate foreign exchange by providing requisite training for stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

He said the Institute would help the ministry in achieving its mandate to ensure food security in crops, livestock and fisheries.

The minister said this would also stimulate agricultural employment and services.

He added that the facilitators of the institute would be provided with a workspace that has the ambiance required to imbue knowledge in the participants.

Abubakar said that the institute had been building fast-growing networks and collaborations with local and international agencies in the area of capacity building in agriculture and rural development.

He said the institute has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with organisations such as the Washington State University (WSU) on capacity building in Organic agriculture, and the commonwealth of learning.

Abubakar said there was the need to build more mutual benefiting networks and grow with relevant stakeholders in the agricultural and rural management capacity-building sub-sector.

He lauded the management of the institute for capacity development and empowerment of thousands of smallholder farmers as well as other actors along agricultural commodity value chains.

The minister, therefore, advised the management of the Institute to ensure regular and consistent maintenance of the facility for its sustainability.

The Executive Director, ARMTI, Dr Olufemi Oladunni said that the development of the RTC of the institute was done in phases.

” The Abuja RTC was very strategic in the pursuit of the institute’s mandate.

” Given its location in the heart of FCT and direct connection to the rest of the world, a very good number of our partners and collaborators in the sector prefer Abuja RTC for their programmes,” he said. (NAN)