The National Youth Service Corps has reached out to the China-funded Nigerian Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centre, Abuja for a robust partnership for the training and empowerment of Corps Members in agro-allied ventures.
The Scheme expressed interest in the partnership when a team led by the Director, Ventures Management, Prince Mohammed Momoh took a facility tour of the centre located in Ushafa, Abuja.
During the visit, Prince Momoh said the Scheme is poised to expose Corps Members to agricultural training which has the potential of nurturing their skills for self-employment.
He expressed confidence that with the high-tech agricultural equipment at the centre, it can offer technical support to the Scheme as well as training opportunities for Corps Agriprenuers.
Speaking further, the Director solicited for a closer collaboration with the centre to serve as visiting consultants to NYSC Agric Ventures especially as it relates to technical expertise and support.
In his response, the Head of the Agricultural Technology Centre, Mr Wang Jun expressed appreciation for the visit and assured the Scheme of their readiness to train Corps Members and expose them to new innovations enabled by high-tech agricultural equipment installed at the centre.
He equally informed the visiting team of the strategic plan of the centre to promote Chinese agricultural technology and support Nigeria’s drive for self-sufficiency and food security.
He said the centre is equipped with high technology processing machines for rice, cassava, groundnut oil, chilli powder, biscuit production and topnotch agricultural laboratory.
“The Centre established in 2012 as CGCOC Agriculture Development Company Limited has the vision of becoming a bridge for China-Africa agricultural cooperation and a partner for African agricultural development.
“It has branches in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Senegal offering many services including agricultural product processing, agric engineering consultancy and training,” Wang Jun said.