FG Overhauls Agricultural Education to Strengthen Food Security and Create Jobs
The Federal Government has unveiled a comprehensive reform to modernise agricultural education in Nigeria, aimed at boosting food security and creating employment opportunities for young people.
According to a statement released on Sunday, the initiative jointly implemented by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Education seeks to update agricultural curricula across institutions and attract greater youth participation in the sector.
Speaking during the official presentation of the new Agricultural Curriculum Framework Reform, Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, described the move as a critical step toward repositioning agriculture as a cornerstone of national development.
He said the reform aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of a technology-driven agricultural sector that can support economic diversification and sustainable growth.
Alausa expressed concern over the declining enrollment in agricultural courses despite heavy government investment in the sector.
“Statistics from the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination revealed that 47.92 percent of admission slots allocated to agricultural courses remain unfilled. Agriculture is a key national priority, yet enrollment in related programmes keeps falling,” he said.
He added that thousands of spaces in agricultural programmes across tertiary institutions have gone untaken in recent years, describing it as a worrying trend for a sector vital to ensuring Nigeria’s food security and export capacity.
However, the minister noted that vocational and technical agricultural training has seen growing interest among young Nigerians.
“Out of more than 900,000 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) applications received recently, over 210,000 were for livestock farming alone. Agriculture ranked close to garment making, which had more than 260,000 applicants,” he said.
Alausa explained that this enthusiasm reflects a desire among youth to gain practical agricultural skills, adding that the outdated tertiary curriculum has failed to keep up with modern realities.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to developing a curriculum that meets industry demands and strengthens Nigeria’s agricultural value chains.
Citing the Republic of Benin’s success in transforming its cotton industry, Alausa said Nigeria intends to replicate such achievements through curriculum reform.
“Benin increased its cotton export earnings from $500 million in raw exports to $12 billion in processed products, creating over 25,000 jobs. Nigeria can achieve similar results by linking education to production and export diversification,” he said.
Also speaking, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Aliyu Abdullahi, emphasised that food sovereignty cannot be achieved without reforming agricultural education.
“To secure our food future, education and training systems must align with national priorities. Graduates need not only theoretical knowledge but also the innovation and practical skills to drive agricultural transformation,” Abdullahi stated.
The government said the reforms mark a decisive step toward equipping Nigerian youth with the tools and expertise needed to transform agriculture into a viable engine of national growth and employment.
