The Oyo State Government is set to benefit from a partnership with the United Kingdom Agritech Centre in the area of boosting agriculture and livestock production with science and other technology-based solutions.
This is as the Centre is set to build an Agritech Hub inside one of the state’s Agribusiness Industrial Hubs, which will help revolutionise agriculture in the state and provide practitioners with resources and opportunities in technological innovations in agriculture practice.
Executive Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Agribusiness, Dr Debo Akande, made this known on Monday, during a visit of the UK delegation to the governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, in Ibadan.
He explained that the construction of the Agritech Centre is a funded project that is going to benefit the state.
The delegation, which comprised agribusiness experts, academics and heads of other organisations making up the UK Agritech Centre, was led by the Director, UK Department of Business and Trades in Nigeria, Mr Mark Smithson.
Speaking shortly after the delegation met with Governor Makinde, Dr Akande said the visit was meant to address the expansion of trades and opportunities between Oyo State and the UK.
He said: “This is a visit of the United Kingdom delegates, who came to speak with the governor about expansion of trade and the opportunity that exists through a new initiative like what we have with AGOA and the American government. The British government also has that.
“The second reason is that they have a new big project that is a tripartite relationship between Brazil, UK and Nigeria. It is called the Agritech. And, of course, you know that Oyo State has become a priority state in Nigeria. So, they will implement this project within the state.
“Agriculture has become technology-driven, and we have a lot of young people that have the same capability to produce this but that know-how may not be there. This project is going to provide that opportunity and resources for them to be able to do it.
“We are hoping that this will help us to be able to build what we call ‘Agritech Hub’ within one of our industrial hubs in Oyo State. And this is going to revolutionise agriculture. Agriculture has gone beyond rudimentary to technology, to innovation, to precision, to mechanical and this is where and how we can increase productivity and production for livestock within our state.
“Very soon, it will be achieved because it is a funded project. They are not going through the conceptualisation stage and that is why they are here from the UK to meet with the stakeholders and get to understand what are our major needs and challenges so that we can then deploy.
“This is a grant, which the state will be benefiting from.”
Also speaking, Mr Smithson, explained that his delegation visited Oyo to discuss with Governor Makinde and other stakeholders in the state on opportunities in the area of agriculture.
“In February 2024, the United Kingdom and Nigeria signed an investment partnership, which comprises 40 different chapters. One of the priority areas for the UK and Nigeria is in the field of agriculture.
“So, we are here today to talk with His Excellency, the Governor and the stakeholders in the state about the opportunities to bring UK and Nigeria into collaboration in the field of agriculture.
“We have colleagues from the Department of Business and Trades based in London and colleagues from the UK Agritech Centre here to explore what those partnerships and opportunities might look like.
“The UK Agritech Centre, as an organization, comprises 300 members from the private sector and academia and they bring to Nigeria science and technology-based solutions, which will hopefully help in enhancing productivity in agriculture,” Smithson said.
