Following the formal engagement with the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Nigeria, the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigeria Universities headed by Prof Yakubu Ochefu entered into an agreement with the embassy for the sponsorship of three of its members to attend a two weeks capacity-building programme on the “Application and Development of Smart Agriculture for Developing Countries” in Beijing China. The selected lecturers are from the Universities of Agriculture Umudike, Makurdi and Abeokuta.

The global programme organised by the Center of International Cooperation Service (CIOS), People’s Republic of China, will train 35 agriculture experts from different countries on insights into intelligent agriculture. The Center of International Cooperation Service is a public service agency under the direct administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) in China.

The agency provides translation services, conducts multi-bilateral foreign seminars, receives and sends multi-bilateral exchange groups under the governmental framework of implementing foreign technical cooperation and assistance projects. The training program will also focus on the implementation of multilateral South-South cooperation projects with FAO organizing international conferences.

Since 2006, the Centre has organized seminars, and courses for more than 6,000 participants on subjects such as agricultural project management, sustainable agricultural development, agriculture and climate change, intelligent agriculture, agrarian water resources management, agricultural trade, agricultural land management, livestock, and poultry breeding management, animal disease prevention and control, planting management and technology, agricultural machinery maintenance, and cotton breeding, production and trade.

The CVCNU and its partners, Red Sapphire and African China Press Centre who facilitated the engagement stated that this programme would further deepen the existing bilateral relations between Nigeria and China. They thanked the Ambassador of China to Nigeria, Mr Cui Jianchun, for his kind gesture in supporting the development of the Nigerian University system. They were optimistic that this programme was the beginning of many such linkages between Nigerian universities and their counterparts in China as promised by the Ambassador during the courtesy call by the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities in March this year.

The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities is an organisation of all Federal, State and Private universities in Nigeria with over 220 members and has been in existence since 1962.