- ABU and the University of West of Scotland establish the African Agricultural Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (AAKTP)
- The partnership is in the form of a joint degree
- The collaboration will improve food security and promote economic growth in the long run
As part of efforts to improve economic growth, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria has joined forces with the University of West of Scotland to establish the African Agricultural Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (AAKTP), which is aimed at improving food security and promoting economic growth.
This was confirmed by the Director of the Public Affairs Directorate at ABU, Malam Auwal Umar, who confirmed the collaboration in a statement released in Zaria.
Prof. Kabiru Bala, the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, played a key role in establishing the collaboration with the UK university.
He represented ABU during the meeting on the collaboration and partnership between the two institutions, held at the University of the West of Scotland in the United Kingdom.
The discussions for this collaboration were facilitated by the African Forum in Scotland, with the involvement of Dr Festus Ogunmola, the Director of the Centre for Policy Research and Development in Glasgow.
What he said
According to Umah,
- “The Vice-Chancellor, of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Kabiru Bala, secured the partnership with the UK university.
- “Bala also stood in for ABU at the meeting on collaboration and partnership between the two universities at the University of the West of Scotland, the United Kingdom, recently”.
Capacity building in Agriculture and empowering SMEs
The partnership’s objective is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and capacity building in the agricultural sector, bringing in new skills and the latest academic insights to support strategic advancements in agriculture.
The project’s focus is on empowering local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria, as well as Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
This has led to Ahmadu Bello University and the University of West Scotland establishing plans for a collaborative degree program.
This development emerged from the visit of Prof. Kabiru Bala, the Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, and Prof. Abdullahi Mahadi, the Director of the Division of Agriculture Colleges, to the Royal School of Veterinary Studies and the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh.
During the visit, Prof. Bala held a joint meeting with Prof. Geoff Simm, the Director of the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems; Prof. Karyn Smyth, the Director of the Center for Supporting Evidence-Based Interventions in Livestock; and Dr Oluyinka Opoola from the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health.
Two other personalities on the Vice-Chancellor’s entourage were Dr Usman Ibrahim and Dr Emmanuel Opoola from the Division of Agricultural Colleges (DAC), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The plan to build capacity in the Agriculture sector is not connected to how the sector improves the overall economic growth and development of Nigeria. Agriculture also contributes significantly to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
