GAWAL partners ministry, trains 40 officials in China-sponsored project

Green Agriculture West Africa Ltd (GAWAL), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, has commenced a seven-day technical training on agricultural technologies for government officials.

The training commenced on September 3, 2018, at CGCOC Agriculture High-tech Abuja Industrial Park in Bwari District, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. 
The programme is sponsored by the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria and organised by GAWAL.

Professor Xu Yuanfang, Deputy General Manager of GAWAL, said the programme was the third that the Chinese Embassy had sponsored in Nigeria.  

There are 40 Nigerian government officials drawn from different ministries, agencies and departments to partake in this year’s edition. The training programme included the indoor teaching and practical courses, revolving around cassava processing, pepper cultivation, rice, maize and sorghum seed production, soil and fertiliser sciences, demonstration of agro-machinery operation skills and inspection of vegetable oil mill, among others.

At the opening ceremony, Professor Xu said from 2015 till now, GAWAL had undertaken six training programmes for the agricultural technicians in Nigeria, including the technical training on bio-gas digester construction and fish cage technology, Chinese embassy-sponsored agricultural technical training programmes, and Chinese Ministry of Commerce-sponsored training programmes.  

He added that the aim of these programmes is to promote the agricultural development in Nigeria, enhance the income level of farmers, and raise the level of food security.

While giving the speech at the opening ceremony, Mr Chianu Paschal Chibuzo, the representative of participants, urged all the trainees to use every opportunity possible to extend the knowledge to be impacted on them to other people and farmers.

GAWAL explained that to promote the implementation of the China-Africa Agricultural Modernisation Cooperation Plan and enhance the agricultural exchange and cooperation between the two countries, it undertakes the Agriculture Technical Training Programme sponsored by Chinese Government.  

“In the training programme in 2016, our company trained 40 technical personnel from the FMARD in Abuja in such areas as soil and fertiliser science; seed production; rice cultivation techniques and agro-machinery practice.  

“In May of 2017, altogether 39 government officials from 22 states and Abuja attended another training programme. During the training, our Chinese agricultural experts not only shared the experience of the agriculture development across the world, but also disseminated the modern technology in agricultural machinery, plant protection and vegetable oil processing,” GAWAL said.