Corporate Farmers International (CFI) collaborates with Lagos and Kebbi state governments and Chartered Institute of Stockbroker (CIS) to launch a world-class E-learning Academy Platform, Farm Support Service, and Eko School Agric to enhance agricultural productivity in Nigeria.
The CFI unveiled the three new agricultural products and services to change the Nigerian agricultural sector’s narrative by bridging gaps. The co-founder of CFI, Akin Al stated at the launch that products and services were created to provide valuable information about agriculture and its value chain and showcasing opportunities in the sector.
Alabi stated that the new collaboration will ensure detailed courses and certifications on the five different agricultural value chains are provided. He stated that the academy is fully digital with tutors taking students through the modules before examinations and certifications.
Alabi said the academy is a complete agricultural learning platform for several programs in Lagos and Kebbi states, training across specific value chains which Nigerians abroad will see as useful and help them in deciding on investing in agriculture.
According to him, the other platform launched – Eko School Agric is a comic book series for children, teenagers, and lovers of comic books is in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of agriculture.
He also stated that Eko School Agric is another platform that launched a comic book series for children, comic book lovers, and teenagers in association with the Lagos State Ministry of agriculture.
‘’It is designed to integrate into our children, know where their food comes from, and catch them young. The low acceptability among the youth must be tackled from the root and to do that we must create a platform for our children to also see themselves as a critical player in the value chain,’’ he said.
During the Farm Support Service, Alabi stated that it is created to instill value to extension services through the provision of weekly digital service for farmers and agro starters via some dedicated mobile numbers that are accessible anywhere in Nigeria.
He stated that the farm support service will create jobs for youth via its Freelance Extension Agents Platform (FEA). He said youths who studied extension service can enroll and become CFI’’s accredited FEAs anywhere in Nigeria.
Abisola Olusanya, Commissioner for Agriculture, Lagos State, described the partnership with CFI as strategic as the state has made it necessary to explore ways of increasing food production.
Olusanya who was represented by Hakeem Adeniji, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture believes that the newly launched platforms would support the state’s five-year roadmap for its agricultural sector.
He said the time had come for tech-savvy farmers in the country to become principal actors in the sector and commended CFI for introducing innovative products.
Similarly, Tukur Mohammed, Kebbi state Lagos liaison officer, said the state has vast arable land for agriculture and has committed large resources under the administration of Governor Atiku Bagudu to boosting agro-production in the area of rice and tomato.
