Michigan State University Delegation Visits Gombe to Assess Agriculture Faculty and Innovation Hub Sites

Following the visit of a delegation from Michigan State University in the United States of America, Gombe State is poised to undergo a revolutionary agricultural revolution.

In order to strengthen a previous collaboration agreement made during Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s visit to the United States, the delegation, headed by Prof. Daniel Uyeh, traveled to Gombe State with the goal of building an Agricultural Innovation Hub in Dadinkowa and a Faculty of Agriculture at Gombe State University (GSU).

Senior officials that joined the group included Ahmed Musa Hussaini, Director General, Research and Documentation, Government House; Abubakar Maigari, Deputy Director, Raw Materials Research and Development Council; and Prof. Mu’azu Shehu, Principal Private Secretary to the Governor.

The Michigan State University team thoroughly evaluated the demands of the suggested locations, including Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park and GSU, during yesterday’s visit. The Balanga Dam and the federal government’s multibillion-naira Dadinkowa Irrigation Scheme were among the other locations visited.

In keeping with Governor Yahaya’s goal of making Gombe State a center for irrigation-based agriculture, the visit explored the state’s vast irrigation potential.

According to the visiting professor of agriculture’s words, Gombe State has the capacity to grow up to 100,000 hectares of rice three times a year, based on his personal observations.

He added that the state is well on its way to become a significant center for food production and processing in the nation, based on his assessment of the 450-tonnes-per-day rice processing mill and other agricultural processing facilities being built at the Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park.

Professor Uyeh praised Governor Yahaya’s political courage and forethought, emphasizing the project’s broad effects on agriculture in Northern Nigeria and Gombe State.

He listed the many advantages of the collaboration, such as bringing innovative methods and sustainable practices to farmers, young people, and women in the area; promoting innovation in fields like better seeds, fertilizers, mechanization, and agro-processing to improve yield quality and quantity; promoting resource sustainability; and utilizing Gombe’s dam infrastructure for efficient irrigation.

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Governor Yahaya emphasized during a debriefing that the state is prepared to offer the assistance required to achieve the partnership’s goals.

In addition to highlighting the initiative’s importance in empowering local communities and tackling issues of food security, he reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fostering an atmosphere that supports transformative enterprises.

This collaboration marks the beginning of a more promising and fruitful future for agriculture in Gombe State, given the foundation already established and the delegation’s hope.