The Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) has trained a total of 109 agricultural value chain facilitators in three years who would help develop the country’s commodity value chain at the state and local government levels.
Olufemi Oladunni, acting executive director, ARMTI made this known during the inauguration of the association’s value chain development facilitators in Ilorin, Kwara state recently.
“ARMTI has proceeded to conduct a Training of Trainers (TOT) yearly from 2013 to 2016 for selected facilitators drawn from all over the country making a total of 109,” Oladunni said.
“The facilitators have been empowered and mandated to further step down the training to the grassroots level in their respective states. They will henceforth, form the critical mass of resource persons adequately equipped for both national and international efforts geared at agricultural commodity value chain development,” the acting executive director said.
During the inauguration of the 109 value chain developers, an executive body was elected and commissioned to steer the development of various commodity value chain at the state and local government level.
“The executive body will ensure that each state actively keys into the value chain development programme to unlock the immense agricultural potential of each state through adequate budgetary allocation and funding as well as other needed support,” Oladuni said.
He stated that ARMIT would provide a secretariat for the executive body, while noting that the association will organise annual conferences to ensure that members of each the states are made to presents reports on their activities and impacts in their states to ensure monitoring and checks.
According to the ED, the first of such conference is planned to hold in the first quarter of 2018 at the country’s capital, Abuja.
Oladuni urged the facilitators of the VCD to mobilise all actors across the value chain such as farmers, processors, marketers and consumers to unite in their activities that will help ensure food security, create jobs and improve livelihoods.
“Unity along the different commodity value chains in Nigeria in agriculture will ultimately contribute immensely to peace and good governance,” he said.
Josephine Okojie
