Speeches Shim
Last updated: February 25, 2021
Agriculture is the mainstay of Nigeria’s rural economy. However, the sector still faces myriad challenges. The sector struggles with a lack of proper legislation and weak enabling environment for agribusiness, limited access to appropriate financing options, poor commodity value chain networks, climate change and the environmental consequences of industrial activities.
Binta Yahaya, a mother of four, is a maize smallholder farmer from Kaduna State. She has been growing maize for over 25 years using traditional farming methods. For several years, Binta and her neighbours complained that farming was not profitable. They also bought farm inputs such as maize seeds from the open market that were of low quality.
Over the past three years, a unique collaboration between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Nigeria’s Bayero University in Kano (BUK), and Florida State University (FSU) in the United States has helped Africa’s most populous country strengthen its ability to teach early grade reading, the foundation of lifelong learning. This activity supported the training and mentorship of six BUK Faculty Fellows on cutting-edge research, teacher training, and the process of publishing academic articles during a six-month residency at the FSU Center for Reading Research.
On July 22, 2020 the Honorable Aminu Iya Abbas, Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, commended USAID for contributing to strengthening the legislative process in the state. During the last legislative session, USAID, through an agreement with the Consortium of Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), provided nonpartisan support through targeted technical assistance ranging from capacity building to citizen engagement and sponsoring public hearings on issues critical to the state.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the American University of Nigeria (AUN), will reach more than 500,000 pupils in Gombe and Adamawa states through a new home-schooling program called Transactional Radio Instruction (TRI) to be broadcast across the two states.
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