By Maryam Abeeb
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has partnered Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa( FARA ) to establish and launch Agricultural Research and Innovation Fellowship For Africa (ARIFA)innovation platform in Nigeria.
It is learnt that ARIFA is aimed at producing a new generation of fit-for purpose workforce to re-engineer the African agri-food sector to provide the change factor for rapid agricultural transformation in the next 10years.
In the first phase of ARIFA, TETFund identified six institutions for the establishment of IPs, namely Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi (ATBU), University of Benin(UNIBEN), University of Lagos, (UNILAG), Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), University of Maiduguri(UNIMAD) and University of Jos( UJ).
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arch. Sunny Echono during his opening remark at the event in Abuja, explained that the funds intervention in ARIFA will impact on faculties and departments across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions resulting in the delivery of science -led solutions for improved livelihoods while sustaining and advancing academic rigor.
He explained that TETFund has supported over 120 scholars.
He added that the pre- admission process of the second phase of the Program has since commenced, and TETFund remains committed to supporting another 500 sets of fellows.
According to him, TETFund recognized the ARIFA model as an innovative strategy for revitalizing pedagogy that will strengthen the institutional capacities of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and contribute to building the knowledge- based economy through its Centers of Excellence (CoE) across the country.
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