The Federal Government has introduced a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s agricultural education system as part of efforts to strengthen food production and create job opportunities for young Nigerians.

The initiative, jointly driven by the Federal Ministries of Education and Agriculture and Food Security, was unveiled in Abuja and aims to update Nigeria’s agricultural curriculum to align with modern practices and technology.

This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs. Folasade Boriowo.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described the reform as a pivotal step in repositioning agriculture as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s national development.

He explained that the initiative aligns academic training with President Bola Tinubu’s vision for a technology-driven agricultural sector capable of addressing food insecurity and diversifying the economy.

Alausa expressed concern over the declining enrollment in agricultural programmes across tertiary institutions despite consistent government investment in the sector.

“Statistics from the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) revealed that 47.92 per cent of admission slots allocated to agricultural courses remain unfilled.”

“Agriculture is a major national priority, but enrollment in agricultural courses in higher institutions is dropping.”

“In the last three years, there have been thousands of open slots, but only a fraction have been taken,” he said

He said this shortfall poses a significant threat to Nigeria’s food production goals.

“This is a serious gap, especially in an area that should ensure food security for Nigeria and make the country an export hub for agricultural products,” he added

Rising interest in technical training
While enrollment in tertiary agricultural programmes has declined, Alausa noted a surge in interest in vocational and technical agricultural training, reflecting young Nigerians’ growing preference for hands-on skills.

“Out of more than 900,000 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) applications recently received, more than 210,000 were for livestock farming alone.”

“Agriculture overall ranked close to garment making, which recorded more than 260,000 applicants,” he said

According to him, this trend shows that young Nigerians are willing to learn agricultural skills, but the outdated university curriculum has not kept pace with modern industry realities.

“This shows that young Nigerians are eager to gain practical agricultural skills, but the outdated tertiary curriculum has not kept pace with modern realities,” he added.

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The Federal Government said it is committed to overhauling the curriculum to meet current industry needs and support economic diversification.

The reform will integrate practical training, innovation, and value-chain development into agricultural education to strengthen production zones and create jobs.

Dr. Alausa cited the Republic of Benin’s transformation in cotton processing as a model for Nigeria’s new approach.

“Benin moved from earning 500 million dollars in raw cotton exports to 12 billion dollars in processed products, employing more than 25,000 young people.”

“Nigeria will replicate this success through curriculum reform and practical agricultural education that supports our production zones and export diversification goals,” Alausa said.

Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, said Nigeria must align its education and training systems with national priorities to achieve food sovereignty.

He explained that diversifying the economy requires more people in agricultural enterprises and that the curriculum should focus on practical skills and innovation, not just theory, to drive agricultural transformation.