By Omotunde Ojugbele
Gombe State Government and OCP Africa, a subsidiary of the OCP Group, Morocco, have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing the State’s agricultural productivity, food sustainability, and economic growth.
The landmark MoU was signed by the two strategic partners at a ceremony held at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), located in the Green City of Benguerir.
Gombe State Commissioner for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Dr. Barnabas Malle, signed on behalf of the state government, while Mr. Akintunde Akinwande, Head of Digital, signed for OCP Africa.
The MoU signing was witnessed by Gombe State Governor Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya and the Chief Operating Officer of OCP Africa, Mohammed Hettiti.
In his remarks, Governor Yahaya expressed optimism about the partnership, saying it holds the potential to deliver substantial benefits to smallholder farmers and the broader agricultural community in Gombe State.
He said the partnership aligns with Gombe’s vision of becoming a regional hub for agribusiness, commerce, trade, and industry.
The governor emphasised the importance of leveraging the technical expertise of OCP Nigeria in engineering, manufacturing, technology, and resources to position Gombe State at the forefront of agricultural development in Nigeria.
He said the partnership between Gombe State and OCP Africa covers a comprehensive development project addressing productivity and sustainability challenges across the entire agricultural value chain.
He explained that the collaboration encompasses a range of activities, including, supporting small-scale farmers to have access to necessary resources; recruiting and training of youth as agricultural extension agents to support agricultural development, providing fertilizers, seeds, and agrochemicals to enhance farm productivity, facilitating access to credit to support to participating farmers.
It also includes annual establishment of five Farm & Fortune Hubs in rural communities with high agricultural potential to address challenges in farm input availability and accessibility, providing a comprehensive solution under one roof, as well as the implementation of More Food Initiative (MFI) project in selected secondary schools in Gombe State to foster agricultural education among students.
Prior to the signing ceremony, Governor Inuwa Yahaya and his team toured facilities at the Moroccan non-profit private research university, particularly the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
Impressed by the state-of-the-art facilities and academic programmes, the governor directed the Vice Chancellor of Gombe State University and the Commissioner of Education to initiate administrative processes to enable Gombe State students to benefit from the needs-based and academic excellence scholarships offered by the UM6P.
