France, JR Farms to Train Nigerian, African Farmers

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The French government will train African and Nigerian farmers for eight weeks in February 2024 on innovation, global best practices and access to business stakeholders.

The first cohort of the training will be hosted across three training institutes in France after which the participants will be issued certificates.

The French government and a Nigerian firm, JR Farms signed the strategic partnership agreement yesterday in Paris.

The Senior Agriculture Counsellor of the French Embassy Nigeria/West Africa, Dr Sonia Darracq said France is committed towards the improvement of technical colleges of agriculture and the modernisation of curricula in Nigeria, with a dedicated grant from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or via the French Development Agency (AFD).

 “This executive training programme aims to bridge the knowledge gap, foster innovation and facilitate valuable networking opportunities for participants. Moreover, it serves as a testament to the strengthening economic and diplomatic ties between France and Nigeria. We look forward to the inaugural cohort in February 2024 and are confident that it will contribute to the growth and success of agribusiness in Nigeria and beyond,” Darracq said.

The Chief Executive Officer of JR Farms Global operations, Olawale Rotimi Opeyemi, said the company considers this development as very important initiative between France and Africa.

He noted that while Africa has huge agribusiness potentials, knowledge gap has kept agribusiness development in the continent low.