The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, has revealed ongoing plans to support 500 sets of fellows nominated by beneficiary institutions for second phase of the Agricultural Research and Innovation Fellowship For Africa (ARIFA).
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sunny Echono who disclosed Nigeria’s n Monday in Abuja that the Fund has supported over 120 scholars nominated by beneficiary institutions for the Phase I which has some nominees rounding off their programs this year, same the pre- admission process of the second phase of the Program has since commenced.
While noting that the Fund partnered the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa( FARA ) to establish and launch the ARIFA innovation platform in Nigeria, he explained that ARIFA was aimed towards producing a new generation of fit-for purpose workforce to re-engineer the African agri-food sector to provide the change factor for rapid agricultural transformation in the next 10years.
In the first phase of ARIFA, TETFund identified six institutions for the establishment of IPs, namely Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi , University of Benin, University of Lagos, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, University of Maiduguri and University of Jos.
According to Echono,the Fund’s intervention in ARIFA would impact on faculties and departments across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions resulting in the delivery of science -led solutions for improved livelihoods while sustaining and advancing academic excellence.
He said: “As we celebrate the return of the first contingent of ARIFA Fellows, I would like to reiterate the commitment of the Fund towards sustaining the momentum of the Program, especially as we begin to see the impact of injecting the new fellows into our educational sector, who will power the engines of TETFund ARIFA Innovation Platforms (TAIPS) across the country.
“As you all know, agriculture is a critical sector in Nigeria, and we must continue to invest in research and innovation to ensure sustainable growth and development. The ARIFA fellowship represents a strategic stride in this respect, and we are excited to have these highly trained fellows join us in this endeavour.
“The fellows will be applying their different expertise and knowledge in TAIPS, which will be invaluable as we work to improve the productivity and competitiveness of our agricultural industry.
“So, I urge you to make the best of this three-day training and ensure that you continue to be part of the innovation ecosystem that we all envision towards strengthening Nigeria’s educational and agrifood systems.”
Executive Director FARA, Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, noted that the launch of the Programme was the beginning of realization of ARIFA training in Brazilian and added that the ARIFA fellow returnee for Brazil would be planted back to their institutions where they took off to Brazil.
