The federal government has commenced a review of agricultural curricula in polytechnics and colleges of education to address widening skills gaps and revive youth’s interest in agriculture.

The chairman of the Agriculture Curriculum Review Implementation Committee, Idris Bugaje, disclosed this at a two-day national workshop on agricultural curriculum review on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Bugaje, who is also the executive secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), said many agricultural programmes had remained unchanged for more than 15 years.

He said the outdated curricula had become unattractive to young Nigerians and misaligned with industry needs.

According to him, the review will cover all 33 national diploma (ND) and higher national diploma (HND) agricultural curricula, alongside more than 32 national occupational standards.

Mr Bugaje said past funding for curriculum review was grossly inadequate.

He noted that about N50 million was previously allocated annually to review over 320 curricula and more than 100 occupational standards nationwide.

“The work before this committee is critical because agriculture remains the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.

“It employs a large number of Nigerians and contributes significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP).

“Unfortunately, admissions into agricultural programmes have been declining because the curricula are no longer attractive or responsive to current realities,” he said.

Mr Bugaje added that the review would prioritise practical, industry-driven training rather than purely academic content.

He said private sector participation would be strengthened to ensure graduates acquire relevant skills aligned with modern agriculture and global best practices.

The NBTE boss said four thematic groups covering crops and agronomy, livestock, fisheries, and forestry would develop implementation timelines.

He added that the groups would also recommend industry resource persons for the exercise.

Mr Bugaje noted that undergraduate agricultural programmes under the National Universities Commission (NUC) would not be reviewed immediately.

He said this was in line with the commission’s five-year curriculum review cycle.

He added that the exercise would instead focus on programmes supervised by NBTE and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

Mr Bugaje commended the Minister of Education, the Minister of State for Agriculture, and the Minister of Livestock Development for their collaboration.

He said their efforts facilitated the establishment of the committee.

The executive secretary of NCCE, Angela Ajala, said Nigeria must urgently shift agricultural education from theory to hands-on practice.

Ms Ajala said this was necessary to address manpower shortages in extension services and specialised farm operations.

She said the decline in the number of trained agricultural extension officers and technical experts underscored the need for a forward-looking curriculum.

“If Nigeria must secure its agricultural future, training must move from classroom theory to practical competence,” she said.

Also speaking, the executive secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Abubakar Dabban, said the council was committed to producing industry-ready graduates.

Mr Dabban, represented by Oluwafemi Salako, director of the Plant Resources Department, said the council would provide technical support for the exercise.

He said ARCN supervised 19 national agricultural research institutes and 17 federal colleges of agriculture.

He added that the council would strengthen research, training, and extension linkages.

An international expert representing the Sector Skills Council for Agriculture, Pascal Durand-Carrier, said ongoing skills-gap surveys would support the review.

Mr Durand-Carrier said the surveys were being conducted in collaboration with international partners.

He said the effort would help align training with labour market demands and strengthen collaboration between academia and industry.

Participants at the workshop expressed optimism that the review would produce modern, market-driven curricula.

They said the outcome would attract young Nigerians to agriculture and enhance national food security. 

(NAN)