Bayero University Kano (BUK) has received ₦28 million worth of agricultural inputs from the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) following the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Skills Improvement to Boost Livelihood and Nurture Growth (SIBLING) Project, a pioneering initiative aimed at transforming students into successful agricultural entrepreneurs.
The agreement, signed on Thursday, 2 July 2026, formalizes the partnership between Bayero University Kano, WOFAN, the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), and the Faculty of Agriculture to provide students with practical agricultural skills, entrepreneurship training, and hands-on experience in modern crop production.
The two-year pilot programme seeks to equip 150 students with practical knowledge across the agricultural value chain, enabling them to establish sustainable agribusinesses and become self-reliant after graduation. The initiative is expected to expand to accommodate 300 students annually, positioning it as one of Nigeria's most innovative university-based agricultural entrepreneurship programmes.
Signing the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of Bayero University Kano, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa, FSI, described the partnership as a historic milestone in the University's quest to bridge the gap between classroom learning and practical enterprise.
He expressed profound appreciation to WOFAN for what he described as a transformative intervention that will empower students with practical skills, entrepreneurial competence, and access to productive resources needed to build successful careers in agriculture.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, the initiative represents a major turning point in the University's history and is the first programme of its kind in a Nigerian university to combine practical agricultural production, entrepreneurship development, mentorship, and a revolving input financing model for students who will subsequently boost agricultural extension services needed to build the capacity of farmers that leads to sustainable food security.
Professor Musa assured WOFAN of the University's unwavering commitment to the successful implementation of the project, stressing that the institution would provide every necessary support to ensure the initiative achieves its objectives.
He particularly commended the Founder and Executive Director of WOFAN, Hajiya Dr. Salamatu Garba (Garkuwan Aujara), for her visionary leadership and sustained investment in youth empowerment, women development, food security, and agricultural transformation.
Speaking at the ceremony, Hajiya Dr. Salamatu Garba said the signing of the MoU also marked the formal handover of ₦28 million worth of farm inputs to Bayero University Kano as an Input Revolving Scheme Grant for the implementation of the SIBLING Project. She explained that the grant is intended to sustain the initiative, provided that an appropriate recovery model is established by the relevant departments of the University.
She explained that the package comprises 300 bags of customised WOFAN-branded NPK fertiliser, 150 bags of customised WOFAN-branded Urea fertiliser, improved maize and rice seeds, pre- and post-emergence herbicides, crop protection chemicals, and other essential farm inputs required for cultivating 50 hectares of farmland, consisting of 40 hectares of maize and 10 hectares of rice.
Dr. Garba disclosed that the University had already allocated 25 hectares to the pioneer batch of 50 students, with each beneficiary cultivating half a hectare of farmland under close technical supervision. She added that the remaining 25 hectares would support the funding of related programmes within the University, thereby paving the way for the adoption and scalability of lessons learnt from the SIBLING Project.
Emphasising the structure of the model, the WOFAN Executive Director further explained that the SIBLING Project operates on a revolving input financing model, through which students between the ages of 18 and 35 years in their fourth and fifth years of study would receive agricultural inputs from a central project stock. Through training and market linkages, the beneficiaries would repay the cost of the inputs after harvest. The recovered funds, she said, would be used to replenish the project account, ensuring that future participants continue to benefit from the initiative without depending entirely on external funding.
The official flag-off of the farming activities for the pioneer beneficiaries was conducted at the project site, where the Vice-Chancellor, in a demonstration of the University's commitment, announced a ₦1 million donation to strengthen the WOFAN-CDA SIBLING Revolving Fund.
The donation increased the project's cash seed fund to ₦11 million, comprising ₦6 million contributed by WOFAN, ₦2 million by the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), ₦2 million by the Faculty of Agriculture, and ₦1 million from the Vice-Chancellor and University Management.
The Memorandum of Understanding was jointly signed by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa, fsi, the Director of the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Professor Sanusi Gaya Mohammed; the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Aminu Sulaiman; the Chairman of the WOFAN Technical Board, Professor Sani Miko; and the President of the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Students (NAAS), Umar Kabir Bello symbolising the collective commitment of all stakeholders to the success of the initiative.
Earlier in their remarks, the Director of the Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Professor Sanusi Gaya Mohammed; the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Aminu Sulaiman; the Chairman of the WOFAN Technical Board, Professor Sani Miko; the former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Muhammad Auwal Hussain; and Professor Mahmoud Daneji commended the partnership, describing the SIBLING Project as a strategic investment in human capital development, agricultural entrepreneurship, food security, and sustainable agriculture.