By Abdallah el-Kurebe
ASHENEWS reports that the Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Prof. Garba Sharubutu has joined the Board of Trustees of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) as the representative of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement by the AATF Communication Officer for West and Central Africa, Alex Abutu made available to ASHENEWS on Sunday.
According to the statement, the admission of Prof. Sharubutu was based on the recommendation of the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Mahmoud Abubakar.
In a letter, the Executive Director of AATF, Dr. Canisius Kanangire acknowledged the nomination and confirmed the acceptance of the Foundation.
“AATF is pleased to note the nomination of Prof. Garba Hamidu Sharubutu to the AATF Board of Trustees and looks forward to a fruitful collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. AATF avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development the assurance of its highest consideration,” Kanangire stated.
A former Provost of the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Prof. Sharubutu was appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), in 2019.
He obtained his DVM degree from A.B.U. Zaria in 1986, a Masters of Veterinary Science (M.V.Sc) degree from U.I. in 1992, and a Ph.D. from Usman Dan Fodiyo University Sokoto in 2002.
AATF headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya was founded in 2003 to address Africa’s food security prospects through agricultural technology, AATF believes that the agricultural sector is a key foundational pillar as Africa consolidates its economic growth and carves out its new position as a major global economic powerhouse and the next growth market in the world.
It was formed in response to the need for an effective mechanism that would facilitate and support negotiation for technology access and delivery and the formation of appropriate partnerships to manage the development & deployment of innovative technologies for use by smallholder farmers in SSA:
AATF is active in 23 countries of East, Southern, and West Africa, currently addressing challenges bedeviling key staples in Sub-Saharan Africa that include maize, rice, cassava, cowpeas, bananas, and potatoes.
AATF also has the ultimate goal of transforming livelihoods through innovative agricultural technologies to improve incomes and improve food and nutrition security in Africa South of the Sahara.
In 1986/87 he received the President’s NYSC National Honors award for the year as the best Corps member. He started his working carer with the Federal Livestock Department from where he moved to Usman Dan Fodiyo University as Assistant Lecturer in 1991 and progressed to the rank of a professor in 2005 focusing on Infectious Diseases of Livestock and Reproductive Diseases.
