FCAIB Hosts GIZ Team to Evaluate Agricultural Finance Project

By Oluwatobi Fadairo

The Federal College of Agriculture, Moor Plantation, Ibadan (FCAIB), on Tuesday hosted an evaluation team from the GIZ Global Project on the Promotion of Agricultural Finance for Agri-Based Enterprises in Rural Areas (GP AgFin) Nigeria as part of the project's end-of-term evaluation to assess its impact, achievements and sustainability at the College.

Welcoming the delegation, the Provost of the College, Professor Jonathan J. Atungwu, expressed appreciation to GIZ for its partnership with the College over the years. He described the collaboration as a transformative initiative that has strengthened teaching, research, extension services and entrepreneurship education while equipping students with practical knowledge in agricultural finance and agribusiness management.

Professor Atungwu stated that the project has made a significant impact on the College and has contributed to producing graduates who are better prepared to manage agricultural enterprises with sound financial knowledge. He assured the delegation that the College remains committed to sustaining the achievements of the project through the continued implementation of the Farmer Financial Cycle curriculum and by expanding its reach to more students.

The GIZ delegation was led by the South-West Regional Coordinator, who represented the GP AgFin Nigeria Project Coordinator, Mrs. Ruskiyat Badmus. Other members of the team included the international evaluation consultant, Mr. Paul Brosby and the national evaluation consultant, Mr. David Adeiza.

The evaluation team explained that the visit was aimed at assessing the implementation outcomes and overall impact of the project, documenting lessons learned and identifying strategies for sustaining its achievements beyond the project's completion.

According to the project brief, the partnership between GIZ and the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan commenced in 2022 following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Under the initiative, FCAIB was selected as one of the Green Colleges responsible for institutionalising the Farmer Financial Cycle, a financial literacy programme designed to equip agricultural students and aspiring agripreneurs with practical financial management skills.

Since the commencement of the project, the College has successfully integrated the Farmer Financial Cycle into relevant academic programmes and has trained about 1,000 students in agricultural finance and financial literacy. Academic staff have also benefited from capacity development programmes on innovative teaching methods, while the College received standardised training manuals, instructional materials and curriculum support from GIZ.

The partnership has further strengthened the College's reputation as one of the leading institutions promoting agricultural finance education in Nigeria. It has also enhanced students' entrepreneurial capacity, improved practical learning and created opportunities for future national and international collaborations.

As part of the evaluation exercise, the team held an interactive session with students who participated in the programme. The students shared their experiences and explained how the training improved their understanding of financial planning, record-keeping, savings, investment, loan management, agricultural insurance and agribusiness development. They expressed appreciation to GIZ and the College for exposing them to practical financial management skills that would support their future careers and business ventures.

Present at the meeting was the Registrar of the College, represented by Mrs. Olanike A. Popoola. Members of the College's GP AgFin Project Committee, led by Dr. Adebayo Adeniran, were also in attendance and actively participated in the engagement with the evaluation team.

The visit concluded with an interactive meeting between the College Management, the evaluation team, and members of the project committee.

Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening agricultural education, promoting financial inclusion and expanding opportunities for young people through strategic partnerships and innovation.

As the GP AgFin project draws to a close, the College is expected to sustain the gains recorded through the continued delivery of the Farmer Financial Cycle curriculum, strengthening staff capacity and leveraging existing partnerships to attract more development initiatives that will benefit students, staff and farming communities.

The evaluation visit further reaffirmed the strong partnership between the Federal College of Agriculture, Moor Plantation, Ibadan and GIZ as both organisations continue to work towards improving agricultural education, promoting financial inclusion and developing the next generation of successful agripreneurs in Nigeria.

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