Executive Director of Agricultural Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Dr. Olufemi Oladunni, yesterday, said Nigeria could reach its full potential if constant training and re-training of its agricultural officials are dutifully carried out.

Oladinni said this during the commissioning of North West Regional Office of the institute, in Kaduna, by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Muhammad Abubakar.

He noted: “ARMTI’s drive to ensure development of the agricultural sector, through capacity building, consultancy and development of different strategies and interventions, have continually led the institute to seek ways of spreading its impacts farther.

“In like manner, we pursued and obtained approval to expand our frontiers by opening regional training centres in all geo-political zones of the country. Just within the last one year, two are already up and running. We are, therefore, glad that we are able to kick off the South West Regional Training Centre today.”

Oladunni said the centres are designed to increase visibility and national spread of ARMTI and its impact. He noted that they are also meant to re-orientate and design integrated training programmes tailored to address issues localised within particular community contexts nationwide.

The ARMTI’s boss added that the centres would also deliver training programmes for trainers within each geo-political zone. He promised that the institute would continue to lead advocacy and awareness about the importance of capacity building and its essential role in achieving a sustainable future through improved agricultural practices, particularly at regional levels.

Oladunni pledged more assistance to state governments through their ministries of agriculture and Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) to achieve more in economic development through agriculture.

He noted that the institute would increase and deepen rural/grassroots development through extension of its pet project, Value Alive Development Initiative (VADI) activities, across the nation. He, however, canvassed more funds from the ministry for better services.

He thanked the minister for supporting ARMTI’S initiatives, promising that more impacts would be brought closer to the people and communities in the North West.

Recall that in 2022, ARMTI put up an additional component to its Abuja regional office training and conferencing facility, a 27 room hostel facility, which was inaugurated and commissioned by the minister.