Corporate Farmers International (CFI) has partnered with the Lagos and Kebbi state governments as well as the Chartered Institute of Stockbroker (CIS) to launch a world-class E-Learning Academy Platform, Eko School Agric and Farm Support Service to boost agricultural productivity in the country.
The three new agricultural products and services unveiled by CFI are aimed at changing the narrative of the Nigerian agricultural sector by bridging the gaps.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos recently, Akin Alabi, co-founder of CFI, said the newly launched products and services were designed out of the desire to provide relevant information about agriculture and its value chain while also showcasing opportunities in the sector.
Alabi said the e-learning platform in collaboration with CIS, Lagos, and Kebbi state governments will provide detailed courses and certification on five different value chains.
He said the academy is 100 percent digital with tutors that will take students and agric practitioners through all courses before examination and certifications are given.
“The academy is also a complete agricultural learning hub for Lagos and Kebbi states several agric programs, training across specific value chain which Nigerians in the diaspora will find very useful to learn more about and aid agric investment,” he said.
According to him, the other platform launched – Eko School Agric is a comic book series for children, teenagers, and lovers of comic books is in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of agriculture.
“It is designed to instill knowledge to our children, catch them young, and know where their food comes from. The low acceptability among our youth must be tackled from the root, and to do that we must create a platform for our children to also see themselves as a critical player in the value chain,” he said.
Speaking on the Farm Support Service, he explained that it is established to add value to extension services by providing a weekly digital service for farmers and agro-starters through some dedicated mobile numbers that are accessible anywhere in Nigeria.
He said that the farm support service will be creating jobs for youth through its Freelance Extension Agents (FEA) platform. He added that youth who study extension service can sign up and become CFI’s accredited FEAs anywhere in the country.
Abisola Olusanya, Commissioner for Agriculture, Lagos State, described the partnership with CFI as strategic as the state has made it necessary to explore ways of increasing food production.
Olusanya who was represented by Hakeem Adeniji, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture believes that the newly launched platforms would support the state’s five-year roadmap for its agricultural sector.
He said the time had come for tech-savvy farmers in the country to become principal actors in the sector and commended CFI for introducing innovative products.
Similarly, Tukur Mohammed, Kebbi state Lagos liaison officer, said the state has vast arable land for agriculture and has committed large resources under the administration of Governor Atiku Bagudu to boosting agro-production in the area of rice and tomato.
