The Nigerian Food Security Project (NFSP) has awarded N3.2 million in research grants to 25 final-year students from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Abuja. The funding is part of the Nigeria Food Security Scholars Programme (NFSSP), an initiative led by the Supply Chain Research and Innovation Hub (SCRIH) to support practical agricultural research. Recipients received both funding and certificates to advance studies on food security, post-harvest loss reduction, climate resilience, and sustainable food systems.
Ajibola Oladipo, executive director of NFSP, stated the programme aims to ensure academic research addresses real-world food security challenges. "We strongly believe in the value of research and want to ensure that research emerging from academic institutions is grounded in the realities of food security challenges," he said. He added that the NFSP is committed to funding and scaling commercially viable solutions.
Akeem Oyerinde, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, confirmed the 25 students were selected based on outstanding academic merit and research focus. He described the initiative as the first of its kind at the university, emphasizing its role in boosting student development and institutional impact. The students are grouped into thematic research clusters and will conduct supervised projects with quarterly coaching and review sessions facilitated by SCRIH.
The scholarship presentation ceremony was attended by Hakeem Fawehinmi, vice-chancellor of the University of Abuja, and Oyerinde Abolade, dean of the Agricultural Faculty, among other university dignitaries. The NFSP, under SCRIH, continues to partner with tertiary institutions to strengthen food security, improve productivity, and reduce post-harvest losses across Nigeria.
Ajibola Oladipo leads an initiative funding student research on food losses while Nigeria continues to rank among the highest in post-harvest waste. The students receiving grants are studying the same problems that have persisted under successive agricultural programmes. If research from 25 final-year undergraduates is now the frontline response, the gap between policy and impact has never been more visible. This shifts the burden of solving systemic failures onto those still writing their theses.
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