By Gilbert Davou
The University of Jos has entered into a technical agreement with the Government of Thailand to boost agricultural research and cooperation towards improved national food security.
Receiving a team of Thai agriculturists led by the Deputy Ambassador of Thailand to Nigeria in his office, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hayward Mafuyai described the collaboration as timely and strategic, coming shortly after the National Universities Commission (NUC) gave final approval for the commencement of academic programmes in the newly established Faculties of Agriculture, Engineering and Veterinary Medicine in the institution.
“We need to do better research especially in a crop like rice, that you know is well consumed in the country in order to increase the yields. It is through such collaborations and shared information that expertise from both countries will be able to improve on the production of rice. It comes timely because we have started the Faculty of Agriculture. Their arrival is really in time for us to take off very strongly.”
The Vice Chancellor noted that Thailand is globally recognized for its peculiar rice production capacity, hence the need to tap from its experience in rice agronomy.
Also speaking, Dean of the newly established Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Samuel Mbab said the public should expect a lot from the faculty.
“We want to produce graduates who would not only want to do white-collar jobs, instead they would have sufficient knowledge to carry out technical and entrepreneurial activities so that they can be gainfully self-employed and be able to participate in research and other agricultural activities. Their training will be relevant to our national development and even worldwide development.
“For this reason, the graduates of the faculty will meet the following requirements: They must have good competence in theoretical, managerial, electrical and practical skill. They should also be equipped with contemporary data processing skills so that they would be able to interpret agricultural problems and provide adequate solutions.
“They must have good communication skills. They should also be well equipped in Information Technology for global communication and they should take part in participatory agriculture so as to be able to conserve and utilise our natural resources properly with the view of improving rural development”, he said.
Prof. Mbab added: “At the onset, our training will expose the students to basic science and then, agricultural science. Thereafter, we will end up developing them for technological and technical aspects. Our plan is to train them not with the science of agriculture only, but also in the art of agricultural production. That means their training will not be limited to class rooms- they will go out to work with farmers, and industries so that their training is holistic.”
Responding on behalf of the visiting experts, Deputy Head of Missions, Embassy of Thailand, Abuja, Mr Sakeson Sarobol highlighted some of the Thai programmes University of Jos can benefit from.
“Kasetsart is a public university and the name of our public university “Kaset” means agriculture and “Sart” is science so basically, the institution is a university of agriculture. Our task at the beginning is to provide higher education in agriculture, produce resources persons for the Ministry of Agriculture and cooperatives which is more or less the same as your ambition and your task. Kasetsart University today is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary university. This means that the education is not limited to agriculture only.”
Executive Director of the Advancement Office of the University of Jos, Mr Yakubu Gomos, revealed that the partnership was at the instance of his office.
“We specifically brought them from the Thai embassy in Abuja to the University of Jos. Our job as Advancement Office is to build a relationship and to develop the University through relationship with alumni, friends’ donors and countries. Because of the leverage and the good relationship between us and the Netherlands government who we are working with in the area of peace, the Vice Chancellor was present at the Dutch day. He was opportune to meet the Ambassador of Thailand where they had a preliminary discussion.
“After that, the advancement office picked the chance and explored the opportunity. We visited the Thai embassy in Abuja and we started collaborating. It is this collaboration that has advanced the state of bringing these experts from the embassy and from the Republic of Thailand.”
