BUK Receives ₦28m Agricultural Support from WOFAN to Train Student Agripreneurs

BUK Receives ₦28m Agricultural Support from WOFAN to Train Student Agripreneurs

Bayero University Kano (BUK) has received agricultural inputs worth ₦28 million from the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Skills Improvement to Boost Livelihood and Nurture Growth (SIBLING) Project.

The agreement, signed on July 2, 2026, establishes a partnership between BUK, WOFAN, the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), and the Faculty of Agriculture to equip students with practical agricultural skills, entrepreneurship training, and hands-on experience in modern farming.

The two-year pilot programme is designed to train 150 students across the agricultural value chain, enabling them to establish sustainable agribusinesses after graduation. Organisers said the initiative is expected to expand to 300 students annually.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Vice-Chancellor of BUK, Professor Haruna Musa, described the partnership as a major milestone in the university’s efforts to bridge the gap between academic learning and practical enterprise.

He commended WOFAN for what he described as a transformative intervention that would empower students with practical skills, entrepreneurial knowledge, and access to productive resources required to build successful careers in agriculture.

Professor Musa said the initiative is the first of its kind in a Nigerian university to combine practical agricultural production, entrepreneurship development, mentorship, and a revolving input financing model designed to strengthen agricultural extension services and enhance food security.

He also assured WOFAN of the university’s commitment to ensuring the successful implementation of the project and praised the organisation’s Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Salamatu Garba, for her contributions to youth empowerment, agricultural development, and food security.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Garba announced the formal handover of ₦28 million worth of farm inputs to the university under an Input Revolving Scheme Grant to support the SIBLING Project.

The package includes 300 bags of WOFAN-branded NPK fertiliser, 150 bags of urea fertiliser, improved maize and rice seeds, herbicides, crop protection chemicals, and other farm inputs for the cultivation of 50 hectares of farmland comprising 40 hectares of maize and 10 hectares of rice.

She disclosed that the university has already allocated 25 hectares to the pioneer batch of 50 students, with each beneficiary cultivating half a hectare under technical supervision. The remaining 25 hectares will support other university agricultural programmes and help expand the initiative.

According to her, the project operates a revolving financing model through which students aged between 18 and 35 will receive agricultural inputs, repay the cost after harvest, and allow recovered funds to finance future participants.

At the official launch of farming activities, the Vice-Chancellor announced a ₦1 million donation to support the WOFAN-CDA SIBLING Revolving Fund, increasing the project’s cash seed fund to ₦11 million.

The fund comprises ₦6 million from WOFAN, ₦2 million from the Centre for Dryland Agriculture, ₦2 million from the Faculty of Agriculture, and ₦1 million contributed by the Vice-Chancellor and the university management.

The MoU was signed by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa; Director of the Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Professor Sanusi Gaya Mohammed; Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Aminu Sulaiman; Chairman of the WOFAN Technical Board, Professor Sani Miko; and President of the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Students, Umar Kabir Bello.

Stakeholders at the event described the SIBLING Project as a strategic investment in agricultural entrepreneurship, food security, sustainable farming, and human capital development.

BUK Receives ₦28m Agricultural Support from WOFAN to Train Student Agripreneurs