Dike Onwuamaeze
The Solidaridad, a solution-oriented civil society organisation, in partnership with the Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE), Omu, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun and other organisations, has launched the TASCE Aquaculture Development Project Nigeria (ADPN) and its e-platform.
The ADPN is designed to embed the teaching of fish farming as part of the educational curriculum of TASCE to encourage students to acquire vocational skills in fish farming that would help them to own businesses.
The Programme Officer of Solidarid, Mr Emmanuel Fagbure, told THISDAY that the project would equip the students with vocational skills in aquaculture and build the capacity of existing local fish farmers in Ijebu-Ode on modern best aquaculture and fish farm management practices.
Fagbure said: “We realised that the value chain in aquaculture is wide, more than what Nigerian farmers are already tapping into. Up until now, what people believe is that the only thing you can do with catfish is to eat it. But we have discovered other uses. Catfish are being used for pharmaceuticals; catfish are also being used for textiles.”
The Provost of TASCE, Dr Adeola Kiadese Lukman, said the programme would see the institution hosting a huge enterprise designed to introduce cutting-edge technologies and best practices to students, farmers, other stakeholders, and interested parties in the area of aquaculture and related practices.
“To the students of TASCE, I believe that there is no greater sacrifice an institution and the society can make than to cater for your educational needs while preparing you for the vocational challenges of tomorrow,” said Lukman.
He added that the programme was designed in such a way as to revolutionise aquaculture from what we have always known and practised to a knowledge-based and goal-driven enterprise that will introduce sustainable and profitable approaches and solutions.
The Solidaridad explained that the online platform arm of the project would incorporate three exclusive features, namely e-learning, e-commerce and farm management software that would enable fish farmers across the country to access and benefit from the project.
The Head of Aquaculture and Livestock for the Ijebu Development Initiative on Poverty Reduction (IDIPR), Mr Akinyelu Blessing Oluwatomisi, told THISDAY that their community is grateful to be part of the ADPN that would provide them with modern farm education, marketing and formalisation and institutionalisation of their farm cooperatives.
