Bayero University Kano (BUK) has received agricultural inputs worth ₦28 million from the Women Farmers Advancement Network WOFAN ICON 2 following the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement the Skills Improvement to Boost Livelihood and Nurture Growth (SIBLING) Project, an initiative designed to equip students with practical agricultural and entrepreneurial skills.
The agreement,brings together Bayero University Kano, WOFAN, the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), and the University’s Faculty of Agriculture in a strategic partnership aimed at bridging the gap between classroom learning and practical agribusiness.
The two-year pilot programme will train 150 students in modern crop production, agribusiness management and agricultural value chains, with plans to expand the initiative to 300 students annually. The project is expected to position BUK among Nigeria’s leading institutions in university-based agricultural entrepreneurship.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, Professor Haruna Musa, described the partnership as a historic milestone in the institution’s drive to produce graduates equipped with practical skills and entrepreneurial competence.
He commended WOFAN for what he described as a transformative intervention that would provide students with access to modern agricultural knowledge, productive resources and mentorship needed to build successful careers in agriculture.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, the SIBLING Project is the first initiative of its kind in a Nigerian university to integrate practical farming, entrepreneurship development, mentorship and a revolving agricultural input financing model.
Professor Musa said the programme would not only empower students to establish sustainable agribusinesses after graduation but also strengthen agricultural extension services by producing graduates capable of supporting farmers and contributing to national food security.
He assured WOFAN of the University’s commitment to the successful implementation of the project and pledged institutional support to ensure its sustainability.
The Vice-Chancellor also praised the Founder and Executive Director of WOFAN, Hajiya Dr. Salamatu Garba (Garkuwan Aujara), for her contributions to youth empowerment, women’s economic development, food security and agricultural transformation.
In her remarks,WOFAN ICON 2 Country Director Director Amb. Dr. Salamatu Garba said the signing of the MoU also marked the formal handover of ₦28 million worth of agricultural inputs to Bayero University Kano under an Input Revolving Scheme Grant to support the implementation of the SIBLING Project.
She explained that the grant comprises 300 bags of customised WOFAN-branded NPK fertiliser, 150 bags of customised WOFAN-branded urea fertiliser, improved maize and rice seeds, herbicides, crop protection chemicals and other essential farm inputs required to cultivate 50 hectares of farmland.
According to her, the University has already allocated 25 hectares to the pioneer batch of 50 students, each of whom will cultivate half a hectare under the supervision of agricultural experts. The remaining 25 hectares will be used to generate resources to sustain related agricultural programmes within the institution.
Dr. Garba explained that the SIBLING Project operates a revolving input financing model under which fourth and fifth-year students aged between 18 and 35 receive farm inputs from a central project stock.
Beneficiaries are expected to repay the value of the inputs after harvest through proceeds from their farm produce, allowing the recovered funds to support future participants without relying solely on external funding.
To demonstrate the University’s commitment to the initiative, Professor Musa announced a ₦1 million donation to the WOFAN-CDA SIBLING Revolving Fund during the official flag-off of farming activities for the pioneer beneficiaries.
The donation increased the project’s cash seed fund to ₦11 million, comprising ₦6 million contributed by WOFAN, ₦2 million by the Centre for Dryland Agriculture, ₦2 million by the Faculty of Agriculture, and ₦1 million from the Vice-Chancellor and the University Management.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa; the Director of the Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Professor Sanusi Gaya Mohammed; the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Aminu Sulaiman; the Chairman of the WOFAN Technical Board, Professor Sani Miko; and the President of the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Students (NAAS), Umar Kabir Bello.
Earlier, stakeholders, including Professor Sanusi Gaya Mohammed, Professor Aminu Sulaiman, Professor Sani Miko, Professor Muhammad Auwal Hussain and Professor Mahmoud Daneji, described the SIBLING Project as a strategic investment in human capital development, agricultural entrepreneurship, food security and sustainable agriculture, expressing optimism that the initiative would serve as a model for universities across Nigeria.