By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Some key stakeholders in the agricultural sector in Africa will gather at NAF Conference Centre and Guest House, Abuja, Nigeria from September 21 to 26, 2020 for the 2020 edition of an international conference organised by the Pan African Society for Agricultural Engineering (PASAE) and the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers (NIAE).
President Kagame of Rwanda is expected to chair the opening ceremony on September 22, of which the AfDB President, Mr Akinwumi Adesina, will give the conference keynote. Six high-level workshops and master classes to serve as continuous professional development opportunities for Engineers will take the-centre stage on Monday, September 21, 2020.
This week, specifically on Thursday, delegates and conference organising committee of the event led by Prof Micheal Faborode, former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, paid a visit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Muhammad Sabo Nanono in Abuja.
The purpose of the visit was to brief the Minister on the programme which focuses on Agro-industrialisation of African Agriculture. This is in line with the African Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
The delegates pledged their readiness to support the laudable initiatives of the Ministry to boost farmers’ productivity and bring the youths back into farming.
In his address, the Minister welcomed the idea of the conference as being very apt, timely and well planned, pledging his personal support and that of the entire Ministry.
He enumerated three imperatives on which the Ministry is focusing to lift Nigeria’s agro productivity, agro industrialisation and job creation.
He said the present administration hopes to use appropriate and private sector-led mechanisation for the provision of not less than 10,000 tractors to support farming input centres in 732 LGAs and 138 agro-processing centres.
He added that government plans to provide good viable seeds and cultivars, which requires research support and then put in place an effective extension service.
Mr Nanono admonished the Institution of Agricultural Engineers to collaborate with government to provide effective frameworks to make the new initiatives successful.
Prof. Faborode subsequently commended the Minister for his vision and forthrightness and assured that launching an NIAE Agricultural Engineering Transformation Roadmap will be one of the highlights of the conference opening in September.
He further promised that members of the NIAE will work together to achieve food security and agro-industrial Nigeria, pointing out that the upcoming conference will be a watershed for agriculture in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Adedapo Adesanya