FG to train 50,000 agricultural extension workers, document assets

The Federal Government yesterday unveiled plans to train about 50,000 agricultural extension agents to monitor, take stock, and document all assets of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development nationwide.

The Minister, Sabo Nanono, while speaking at a special interactive meeting with stakeholders across the federation on monitoring and evaluation, admitted that the ministry did not have up to date stock of its assets, though the ministry would ensure proper documentation of agricultural assets to know there status.

According to Nanono: “We have to train our extension officers, because the market supply is huge. Over the next three years, we will train 50,000 extension workers. This issue is very critical now. Most of our problem is not just the issue of organisation, but the issue of extension workers guiding the farmers on how to plant, and in addition document assets so as to know their status.

“It is very crucial that we need the importance of the opportunities inherent in these. We have enormous unutilised assets in the country. But from today, I am imploring you to document all our assets. It is very important for us to know the status of these assets.”

Meanwhile, the minister stated that the meeting would provide opportunity to take stock of the progress made in the implementation of the 2019 priority projects of the ministry. This is in line with the government’s emphasis on implementation of the 2020 capital projects, following the signing of the budget by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He added that encumbrances to effective monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes were challenges that must be surmounted, if they must attain the mandate assigned to the ministry.

“Therefore, there is need for an integrated approach to project monitoring and evaluation. I wish to observe that the zonal directors and the state coordinators as foot soldiers of the ministry have critical roles to play in facilitating the realisation of this mandate,” he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Abdulkadir Mu`azu, stated that the ministry had made appreciable progress in the implementation and ultimate delivery of agricultural projects across the country in the year under review.

He added that in order to consolidate on the achievement in the current financial year and in line with the Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP), he had directed all departments and units in the ministry to align their activities to agriculture-specific 2019-2023 priority projects, programmes and deliverables handed down as key mandate to the ministry.

Abdulkadir further noted that the meeting would equip participants with best practices in monitoring and evaluation, to enable them perform better in the implementation of agricultural programmes and projects going forward, while discussing on issues bordering on monitoring and evaluation and impact assessments.