Buhari Establishes Agricultural Machinery Development Institute To Improve Food Security

President Muhammadu Buhari has dedicated the Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) in Lafia to improving food security and creating jobs for Nigerian youths.

AMEDI is one of Buhari's legacies aimed at making Nigeria a hub and supplier of agro-allied technology, equipment, and machinery. The project also aims to make the country self-sufficient in food production while also creating more long-term jobs for Nigeria's teeming youths.

AMEDI, a multibillion-naira product of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), is outfitted with modern laboratories and machines for mechanized farming and agricultural development in Nigeria.

The president inspected the institute's facilities, including equipment and laboratories, after being shown around by NASENI's Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, Prof. Muhammed Sani.

While showing the president around the facilities, Sani stated that the foundation for the institute's construction and inauguration would be laid in less than six months.

He claims that the president has inaugurated two NASENI projects in the last three months.

"We, the management and staff of NASENI, do not take this rare privilege for granted," Sani said.

"The foundation for this institute's construction was laid less than six months ago, and it was inaugurated today.

"As part of the twelve new Institutes approved to be established, Mr. President may recall his directive for the establishment of six new Agricultural-Technology-based Institutes in 2021, one for each geopolitical zone of Nigeria."

"NASENI, under my leadership, has developed a culture of swift execution of Presidential directives, not only to justify the agency's new status but also to hasten Nigeria's transition to a manufacturing knowledge-based economy," the statement reads.

According to him, AMEDI, Lafia is the first of the six equals across the country's geopolitical zones to be completed.

Sani continued by saying that the institute was conceptualized to use infrastructure in science and engineering to support the president's efforts to achieve food and nutritional security in Nigeria and for Nigerians.

"The distinctiveness of our soil, with its innate edaphic traits and distinctive topography, makes it necessary to produce in Nigeria agricultural implements, machinery, and equipment that can support responsible and efficient agricultural practices in the face of climate change."

"The agribusiness sector in Nigeria must be modernized, and NASENI is committed to ensuring the agro-enterprises' sustainable growth for the generation of wealth and new jobs."

The EVC added that AMEDI Lafia and similar institutions had a model for advancing the injection of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) in the agricultural sector across the nation once they were finished because they were modular agricultural institutes.

He claimed that because of their inherent abilities, the institutes would be able to design, develop, assemble, and produce agricultural and food processing implements for various classes of farmers using the additive and SMART manufacturing platforms that NASENI has already acquired system-wide.

He claims that AMEDI has a Central Research Laboratory that will support the organization's research initiatives along the various value chains of its intended product lines.

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