The National Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) has formed synergy with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), AFOS Foundation and Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN ) to build capacity of technicians in the poultry value chain.
Registrar of the institute, professor Eustace Iyayi at a one-day stakeholders’ engagement programme in Abuja for the implementation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the poultry value chain noted that the training is expedient considering its national imperative as the country grapples with high import bills on poultry products that can be produced in Nigeria.
He said the poultry value chain remains one of the most organised in the livestock sub-sector as a result of good leadership and internal vibrancy and other activities in the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) which the institute considers to be a veritable platform for a national livestock renaissance.
According to him, the training aimed to equipped Nigerians, especially young people with vocational skills in the poetry value chain to become useful for wealth creation and employment generation to drive the Nigeria’s economy in the agrarian sector.
“The poultry industry as of today can boast that it provides over 25 million direct and indirect employment and if we are able to cascade our level of consumption of egg per person per day and for the poultry meat, then the downward sector of the economy in terms of agronomy, crop production for maize, soya, I think Nigeria will be self sufficient and nearly over 50 million people will be engaged in employment directly and indirectly related to the poultry sector.
We are very much interested in this TVET project, we want to build the capacities of technicians in the areas of poultry mechanics, feed milling and animal production for people who will form the bedrock of production activities”, director-general of PAN, Dr Onallo Akpa told journalists on the sidelines of event.
