Nigerian High Commissioner Ashimiyu A Olaniyi has called for further cementing agricultural, academia, research and development ties between Nigeria and Pakistan to ensure food security and get benefit from each experience.
He visited the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and called on Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ashraf along with deans and directors in a meeting.
The HC said Pakistan and Nigeria were enjoying good relations. The contribution of agriculture in Pakistan Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is around 20 percent whereas in the agriculture of Nigerian GDP it is 23 percent. He said his country was having several agricultural universities and research institutes in which collaborations will help address common agricultural challenges and learn from each other. He said Nigerian government was putting a special focus on agriculture sector. Our country is a natural oil and gas producing country whereas it is blessed with the good agricultural produces.
He said UAF is very famous university and centre of excellence in agriculture and played a role in the food security.
Dr Muhammad Ashraf said UAF and Nigerian institutions collaborated work in the field of agriculture would help bring tangible results. He said agriculture was the backbone of our economy, and the UAF was enjoying good relations with the educational and agricultural institutions worldwide. He said in the past, several agricultural experts from UAF had worked in Nigeria to boost up the sector there. He said UAF has produced ten patents and 17469 citations.
Dr Ashraf told that the university was making all out efforts to ensure education. The Nigerian HC also visited different departments of the varsity. Engr Andullahi G Abubakar from Federal Ministry of Agriculture Nigeria; whereas UAF External Linkages Director Dr Rasheed Ahmad, Deans Dr Muhammad Aslam, Dr Zafar Iqbal , Dr Allah Buksh, Director Research Dr Zahir Ahmad Zahir and others notables also spoke on the occasion.