By Faridat Salifu
The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) has unveiled a new post-project framework to ensure agricultural innovations introduced under a German-funded transformation programme do not die with the project.
The framework was launched at the close-out workshop of the Strengthening Institutional Frameworks for Transformative Agricultural Systems (SIFTAS) project held Wednesday in Abuja.
The SIFTAS project, implemented by SAA with funding from the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), was designed to embed sustainable innovations into Nigeria’s agricultural education, training and extension systems.
Under the initiative, SAA led the development of crop-specific agroforestry curricula and training materials for cassava, potato and rice, in collaboration with universities, colleges of agriculture, research institutes and government stakeholders.
It also built the capacity of personnel to deliver the innovations and integrated complementary agricultural practices into existing teaching and extension programmes.
Speaking at the event, Project Manager of GIZ’s Global Programme on Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies (AgSys), Mr. Alexis Brakhan, said the new Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Transition Framework championed by SAA will enable participating institutions to track progress, document results and share lessons after direct project support ends.
Brakhan disclosed that Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed to lock-in institutional commitment to sustain the gains, noting that the partnership deliberately focused on making innovations part of existing systems rather than donor-dependent activities.
He said the initiative aligns with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (BMZ) agenda to transform food systems into more sustainable, climate-resilient, inclusive and environmentally responsible models, stressing that tackling food insecurity and climate change requires investment in knowledge and institutions, not just productivity.
Brakhan commended SAA for its leadership in driving the process and lauded the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, regulatory bodies and other partners for their collaboration.
