The Federal Government has commenced a comprehensive review of agricultural curricula in polytechnics and colleges of education to address widening skills gaps and revive youth interest in the sector. Idris Bugaje, the chairman of the Agriculture Curriculum Review Implementation Committee and Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, disclosed this at a two day national workshop on agricultural curriculum review on Monday in Abuja.

Bugaje stated that many agricultural programmes had remained unchanged for more than 15 years, making them unattractive to young Nigerians and misaligned with industry needs. He noted that past funding for curriculum review was grossly inadequate, revealing that about N50 million was previously allocated annually to review over 320 curricula and more than 100 occupational standards nationwide. The exercise will cover all 33 national diploma and higher national diploma agricultural curricula, as well as more than 32 national occupational standards.

“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. Unfortunately, admissions into agricultural programmes have been declining because the curricula are no longer attractive or responsive to current realities,” Bugaje affirmed. He added that the review would prioritise practical, industry driven training rather than purely academic content. Four thematic groups covering crops and agronomy, livestock, fisheries, and forestry would develop implementation timelines.

Angela Ajala, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, asserted that Nigeria must urgently shift agricultural education from theory to hands on practice to address manpower shortages in extension services. “If Nigeria must secure its agricultural future, training must move from classroom theory to practical competence,” she remarked. Bugaje clarified that undergraduate agricultural programmes under the National Universities Commission would not be reviewed immediately, as the exercise would instead focus on programmes supervised by NBTE and NCCE.

Abubakar Dabban, the Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, represented by Oluwafemi Salako, stated the council was committed to producing industry ready graduates and would provide technical support. An international expert representing the Sector Skills Council for Agriculture, Pascal Durand Carrier, noted that ongoing skills gap surveys would support the review to align training with labour market demands.