SOKOTO – The authorities of Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDU), Sokoto on Wednesday said the institution would soon begin a degree course in Agricultural Extension Services.
The institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, said this in Sokoto during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) with the Sasakawa Africa Foundation for Extension Education.
The vice-chancellor, who said the course would come into effect from the 2014/ 2015 academic session, said the MoU was for a period of four years.
“The institution’s Senate has since approved the programme and efforts are being made to provide studios, classrooms and other facilities for the smooth take-off of the new course.
“The gesture is part of the institution’s sustained efforts to help extension officers to further their education and train the new ones,’’ he said.
Zuru said the MoU was to ensure a partnership with the organisation to improve food production.
He said the measure would go a long way in reaching out to the rural communities where the actual farming was being done.
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“This is also aimed at making available to the farmers modern techniques on how to improve their yields per hectare.
“The initiative will also help in bridging the gap between the farmers and the agricultural researchers and extension workers,’’ the vice-chancellor said.
Zuru said the measure was coming at a time when the Federal Government was vigorously pursuing the agricultural transformation agenda.
The Managing Director of the Foundation, Dr Adeola Naibakelao, said the MOU was part of the responsive programmes of the organisation to address the training needs of extension officers.
“In Africa, there are lots of research findings. But what is missing is the link between the researchers and the actual users, the farmers.
“That is why our organisation does not go into researches but our focus is mainly on extension,’’ Naibakelao said.(NAN)
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