By David Okpashi (Nasarawa State Correspondent, in Lafia)
President Muhammadu Buhari, at the weekend, inaugurated the Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute Project in Lafia, Nasarawa State, describing NASENI as a reliable institute.
Buhari commended NASENI for meeting the January 2023 completion target. He said the establishment of the institute and others across the six geopolitical zones was part of the on-going effort by his administration to revolutionized the agriculture sector.
It would be recalled that the president had in August and November last year, inspected the AMEDI project in Lafia to ascertain the level of execution.
President Buhari who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari, said the Institute spread across the six geopolitical zones in the country, would transform the country into agro-allied technology hub and boost food production.
Speaking during the commissioning, the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, professor, Mohammed Sani Haruna, said the commissioning of the AMEDI in Nasarawa was the second in the series of NASENI projects embarked on by the administration of the president.
"We in NASENI do not take this rare privilege granted us from the foundation laying of the construction of this institute and its commissioning today to ensure that the project was completed within a period of less than six months.
NASENI under my leadership has developed a culture of speedy delivery on Presidential directives, not only to justify the new status of the agency but also to fast-track transition of Nigeria to a manufacturing knowledge based economy. AMEDI Lafia is the first to be completed among the six equals across the geo political zones of the country", Prof Haruna stated.
Recall that Buhari's directive for the establishment of six new Agricultural-Technology based institutes, one in each geo-political zone of Nigeria in 2021, was part of the twelve new institutes approved to be established.
The Executive Vice Chairman, said the conceptualization of the model institute was targeted at the use of science and engineering infrastructure to support the Presidential efforts in the attainment of food and nutritional security in Nigeria and for Nigerians.
"The peculiarity of our soil with inherent factors and peculiar topography require the production of made in Nigeria agricultural implements, machinery and equipment that can support responsible and productive agricultural practices in the face of climate change.
"We are conversant with the Sustainable Development Goals and our national expectations to end hunger and create decent cum inclusive jobs for our youths and women. We are resolved at NASENI to use the platforms of AMEDIs to modernize agri-business in Nigeria and ensure sustainable scaling of agro-enterprises for new jobs and wealth creation.
He explained that as a modular agricultural institute, AMEDI Lafia and others when completed, would have a template to advance the injection of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in the agricultural space across the country.
"The in-built capabilities of the institutes will ensure the use of additive and SMART manufacturing platforms already acquired by NASENI system-wide to design, develop, assemble and produce agricultural and food processing implements for various classes of farmers".
According to the NASENI Executive Vice Chairman, the main workshop in the institute shall become a model of SMART factory that will leverage cutting edge technologies to deliver made in Nigeria products and market demand-driven services that are suitable for both our farmers and arable lands.
The crop-livestock integration farming model to be practiced in the experimental farm of the institute is strategic to the training of farmers and agro- entrepreneurs on sustainable farming methods, using land resource optimization models.
The institute has installed modern equipment for the processing of fruit juices, milk and other dairy products such as tomato processing. Each equipment that is installed here is for backward integration, multiple and improved versions and would be produced by the institute for the benefits of farmers and agro-equipment industries that would mass produce to meet the demands of the nation.
"This institute is equipped with Central Research Laboratory that will support the research activities of the institute along the various value chains of the target product lines of the institute.
The mandate of the institute align perfectly with the NASENI’s National Tractor and Heavy Duty/Machinery Recovery, Refurbishment and Redeployment project.
He added that the exhibition center of the institute shall engage in show-casing of agricultural innovations and serve as a point of attraction for youth engagements in agriculture for job and wealth creation. NNL.
