TCoEFS Advances Industry Partnerships and Innovation on Day Two of Capacity Building Workshop

TETFund Centre of Excellence in Food Security Advances Industry Partnerships and Innovation on Day Two of Capacity Building Workshop

The second day of the Four-Day Capacity Building Workshop of the TETFund Centre of Excellence in Food Security (TCoEFS), University of Jos, held on Tuesday, 23rd September 2025, focused on deepening strategies for industry partnerships, innovation, and institutional sustainability. The day's sessions combined facility inspections, practical recommendations, and interactive discussions aimed at repositioning the Centre for measurable impact within the TETFund framework.

The day began with a facility inspection tour led by the Director, Professor Dauda Bitrus Bawa, and accompanied by the resource persons and participants. The team visited the Tissue Culture Laboratory, the approved site for the demonstration farm and greenhouses, the Animal Farm, the TCoEFS offices, and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The tour provided an opportunity to assess existing infrastructure and identify priority areas for rapid improvement and utilization.

Representing the TETFund Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit, Dr. Comfort Ochepo reiterated that the Centres of Excellence are performance-based initiatives, emphasizing that success is measured through verifiable outcomes under the Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs). She urged the Centre to accelerate progress by delivering tangible results before the end of its readiness period in December 2025.

Dr. Ochepo made several key recommendations, including:

• Strengthening the Centre's human resource base by recruiting at least 10 professors and technical experts in its core thematic areas;
• Launching three postgraduate programmes and a series of short professional courses to expand the Centre's training mandate;
• Fast-tracking greenhouse bell pepper cultivation and poultry rearing projects for immediate revenue generation and visibility;
• Establishing at least five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with leading agricultural industries such as Grand Cereals, Nasco Foods, Farm-Fresh, and Fruits & Veggies Global Ltd;
• Enhancing branding, office visibility, and staff publication outputs to strengthen the Centre's national profile.

Following the tour, Professor Adeboye O. Fafiolu, Director of CEADESE, FUNAAB, commended the facilities at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) and encouraged TCoEFS to adopt its best practices in maintenance, procurement, and project management. He further recommended the reconstitution of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to include high-impact professionals and the pursuit of international accreditation, noting that only one Nigerian CoE has achieved this milestone to date.

Professor Fafiolu also stressed the importance of building capacity in project management, grant writing, and proposal development, which he identified as essential for sustaining funding and global competitiveness.

Participants described the day's sessions as highly practical and eye-opening, noting that the facility tour provided clearer insight into the Centre's operational potential and untapped opportunities. The deliberations ended with a renewed commitment to fast-track the implementation of key deliverables in the TCoEFS Implementation Plan.

The workshop continues on Day 3 with strategic planning sessions focused on Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs), sustainability strategies, and implementation reviews.