The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has commenced the development of a state-of-the-art Agricultural Incubation Centre at the University of Abuja, Gwagwalada, aimed at boosting food production, strengthening research and driving technology-based commercial agriculture in Nigeria.
The project, situated on a 10-hectare site within the university campus, integrates poultry production, aquaculture, crop cultivation and research-driven innovation.
According to NASENI, the centre is designed as a model facility to be replicated across the country’s six geopolitical zones to support national food security.
In a statement, NASENI’s Director of Information, New Media and Protocol, Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, said the initiative reflects the agency’s renewed focus on rapid implementation of impactful policies under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu.
The centre comprises an agribusiness training and incubation hub, alongside three commercially sustainable production units covering poultry, greenhouse farming, and fish production.
Additional facilities include a tissue culture laboratory, modern greenhouses, open-field farms supported by drip irrigation, administrative buildings and other infrastructure driven by modern agricultural technologies.
Speaking on the project’s strategic importance, the
Acting Coordinating Director of Engineering Infrastructure at NASENI and project coordinator, Engr. Dr. Agava Abdullahi Abdulrasheed, said the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its food security objectives.
He noted that locating the centre within a university environment would enhance research, development and knowledge transfer, while disclosing that similar projects are underway at Bayero University, Kano, with plans to extend to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, and other institutions nationwide.
NASENI said the project is expected to be completed and commissioned before the end of the year, in line with its plan to deliver measurable project impacts by 2026.
Project Manager of Onida Agri and Aquaculture Solutions Limited, Mr. Christian Montano, explained that the poultry section includes 10,000-capacity broiler and layer units, while the aquaculture component consists of three large production tanks with an estimated annual output of 25 tonnes of fish.
Crop production facilities include 10 greenhouses, a net house and extensive open-field farmland, supported by a tissue culture laboratory to improve seedling quality and reduce propagation time.
The centre is also equipped with solar-powered boreholes, irrigation control systems, workshops and water management infrastructure to ensure year-round production.
NASENI said the Agricultural Incubation Centre is expected to strengthen agribusiness development, empower youths through training, promote innovation across the agricultural value chain and contribute to reducing food imports, unemployment and pressure on the national economy.
Source: leadership
