CIS, stakeholders unveil agribusiness e-learning Academy to boost production

 

Corporate Farmers International (CFI) has partnered the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Kebbi State to launch a fully digital agriculture e-learning Academy.

Prince Ade-Ajayi, Co-Founder of CFI, made the disclosure in his welcome address at the unveiling event of the e-learning platform on Friday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CIS and CFI in 2019, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on certification of trainees from the CFI e-Learning Academy to enhance value in the agriculture sector.

The co-founder said that the platform would serve as an opportunity to leverage current technologies to educate farmers and agripreneurs across the value-chains in the agricultural ecosystem.

He said the objectives was to provide educative content and information to participants; expose learners to agricultural opportunities, locally and internationally and receive validation from the agricultural learning community.

“We have five courses, three were approved before today but we got approval for the other two courses this morning, so we have fully commenced.

“Some of the courses are Agribusiness and Finance; Agriculture Science and Agriculture Extension. These courses are specially designed to attract youths and unlearn the former norm.

“Digitalisation is key to development and that is why we have embarked on this fully digital form of learning.

”Information is also crucial in any sector, we are not leaving the children behind in our quest, it is an all -inclusive partnership.

“Graduates will be awarded certificates by the CSI upon completion of the courses,” Ade-Ajayi said.

He added that the five focus of the initiative were; agricultural technology: agricultural science; food and nutrition, agricultural extensions and agribusiness and finance.

Ms Abisola Olusanya, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, said the population of Lagos had made it necessary to explore ways of increasing food production and enhance productivity to attain food sufficiency.

Olusanya, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Akeem Adeniji, said the state was open to ideas to help address the challenges of food production, applying technology into the agriculture value chain.

She commended the CFI team and promised continued synergy between both parties to achieve a highly informed and educated farming public.

Also, Mr Akin Alabi, a CFI Co-founder, while demonstrating the processes of being enrolled in the online academy, said that the products were aimed at closing major gaps with the agriculture sector such as children, teen involvements and creation of jobs.

Alabi said that although the academy was fully digital, arrangements were in place for field and practical training with the CFI partners.

He noted that tutors were already on ground to train registered participants at a relatively low cost and free in some cases.

In his contributions, Mr Tukur Mohammed, representative of the Kebbi State Government said that the partnership was a breath of fresh air as the state has always sort ways to grow agriculture.

Mohammed said any institutions presenting opportunities to help Kebbi improve its agriculture beyond rice was welcomed because the state was known mostly for rice farming but it’s activities were beyond that.

He said the state was available for the practical aspect of the courses.

NAN reports that other programmes unveiled by the CFI were; Eko School Agric, a comic book series for children and teens meant to be available in schools across the state and farm support service.

The event had in attendance representatives from financial institutions, government and private institutions, academia and other agriculture institutions such as the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.