The Federal Government has launched a major reform to modernise agricultural education, align it with industry needs, and draw young Nigerians into a technology-driven food production system.
The Federal Government has embarked on sweeping reforms to overhaul agricultural education across the country, aiming to boost food security, modernise farming practices, and create new employment opportunities for Nigerian youths.
Announcing the initiative in Abuja, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, said the reform is a collaborative effort between the Federal Ministries of Education and Agriculture and Food Security. The move seeks to revamp outdated agricultural curricula, promote innovation, and attract young people to careers in agriculture.
According to Boriowo, the reform reflects the government’s commitment to repositioning agriculture as a cornerstone of national development. Speaking during the official presentation of the new Agricultural Curriculum Framework, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tunji Alausa, described the development as a pivotal step in advancing President Bola Tinubu’s vision for a technology-driven agricultural sector.
Alausa expressed concern over the steady decline in enrollment for agricultural programmes in tertiary institutions, despite the government’s sustained investment in the sector. He cited statistics from the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which showed that 47.92 percent of admission slots allocated to agricultural courses across universities and colleges remained unfilled.
“Agriculture is a major national priority, yet enrollment in agricultural courses continues to drop. In the past three years, thousands of admission slots have remained vacant, leaving a serious gap in a field that is crucial to ensuring Nigeria’s food security and export potential,” Alausa said.
However, he noted a growing interest among young Nigerians in vocational and technical agricultural training. “Out of more than 900,000 applications for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), over 210,000 were specifically for livestock farming,” he revealed. “Agriculture overall ranked close to garment making, which had about 260,000 applicants. This shows that young people are eager to acquire practical agricultural skills, but our tertiary curriculum has not kept up with modern trends.”
The minister reaffirmed the government’s resolve to modernise the agricultural curriculum to meet evolving industry demands and support economic diversification. He emphasized that the restructured framework would equip students with practical, technology-based skills that link agricultural education directly to Nigeria’s production zones and value chains.
Citing international examples, Alausa referenced the Republic of Benin’s success in transitioning from raw cotton exports to large-scale cotton processing. “Benin grew from earning 500 million dollars in raw cotton exports to 12 billion dollars in processed products, creating more than 25,000 jobs for young people,” he said. “Nigeria aims to replicate this model by reforming agricultural education and ensuring that learning outcomes directly feed into industrial productivity and export diversification.”
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, underscored the importance of aligning education with Nigeria’s food sovereignty goals. He noted that achieving sustainable food security would require not only policy reforms but also a fundamental shift in how agriculture is taught and practiced across the nation.
“As Nigeria intensifies efforts to diversify its economy, we must encourage more citizens to engage in agricultural enterprises,” Abdullahi stated. “Food security cannot be realised without aligning our education and training systems with national development priorities. Our new curriculum must go beyond theory to empower graduates with hands-on skills, innovation, and an entrepreneurial mindset to drive the country’s agricultural transformation.”
The joint reform initiative is expected to produce a new generation of agriculturally skilled Nigerians capable of harnessing technology, improving productivity, and turning agriculture into a vibrant driver of economic growth. By linking education to industry needs, the government hopes to transform agriculture from a subsistence activity into a high-value, youth-driven enterprise that ensures food sufficiency, job creation, and long-term national prosperity.
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