Agricultural stakeholders have stressed the need to fully harness the potentials of the Digital Agriculture Extension Service (DAES) under the Nigeria Public-Private Partnership AI-enabled Digital Advisory Planning initiative to improve farming practices in Oyo State.
The meeting, facilitated by Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), Africa Practice, Extension Africa, and Sahel Consulting, was held at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Moniya, Ibadan.
The forum brought together participants from government and research institutions, development partners, agricultural extension practitioners, farmer groups, private sector actors, policymakers, and the media. Discussions centred on opportunities for digital extension services in Oyo State through the Nigeria PPP AI-driven digital advisory system.
In his welcome address, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to closing the gap between farmers and extension workers by leveraging digital and AI platforms to enhance agricultural productivity.
He said, “We are sure that agribusiness will unlock potential for us. We still have time to sit and discuss differences, but we must bridge the gap between farmers and agricultural extension workers through digital AI platforms before the administration lapses.”
He urged the stakeholders to identify potential areas of alignment and collaboration to ensure regulatory coherence and long-term sustainability.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Country Director, Sasakawa Africa Association, Dr Godwin Atser, who was represented by the Technical Coordinator for Capacity Building of the Association, Dr. Anjola Fadairo, said the meeting aimed to develop an enabling digital platform to improve access to information among farmers and extension workers.
He emphasized the need for collaboration between government, private, and public sectors to achieve this goal.
The Country Director highlighted that a study conducted last year showed a significant gap between farmers and extension workers, and that an AI-enabled platform could be the key to solving the problem.
He noted that the platform is still in the development phase and contributions from stakeholders are crucial.
Also speaking, the Director-General of Oyo State Agribusiness Developmemt Agency (OYSADA), Dr. Debo Akande, narrated the state government’s efforts since 2019 to transform agricultural practices in the state to modernize farming.
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He charged participants to see digital AI-enabled platforms as an innovation that will aid the transformation.
Other speakers at the workshop included the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, revealed that the present administration has employed over 100 agricultural extension workers while his cojnter at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Toyin Balogun, expressed readiness for collaboration and called for a concerted effort to actualize it.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale, emphasized the importance of research and concerted effort in driving agricultural innovation.
He noted that digital AI-enabled platforms may be the way out and expressed the university’s readiness to support the goal.
The workshop highlighted the potential of digital technologies to transform Oyo state’s agricultural sector, improving productivity and food security.
Stakeholders emphasized the importance of partnerships between government, private sector, and research institutions to drive agricultural innovation.
Discussions focused on leveraging AI-enabled digital advisory planning to enhance agricultural outcomes in Oyo state.