ABU to Host Nigeria-China Agriculture Incubation Centre for Food Security

Officials of the Hubei Provincial Technology Market Association, Wuhan, China, have paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Professor Adamu Ahmed, to explore areas of collaboration in agricultural technology and food security.

The Chinese delegation was received on Monday, January 19, 2026, at the Vice-Chancellor’s Conference Room, Main Campus, Samaru, Zaria.

Briefing the Vice-Chancellor on the purpose of the visit, the Director of the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), ABU, Professor Ado Yusuf, disclosed that he had represented the Vice-Chancellor at a China–Africa Development Forum held in Wuhan two months earlier. He explained that it was during the forum that he met Professor Guo Bao Yuan, with whom discussions were held on potential collaboration in seed production and agricultural development.

Professor Yusuf added that Professor Yuan subsequently promised to follow up on the proposed partnership, which culminated in the current visit.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Senator Mubarak Ahmad Tijjani of Abuja said the team was at ABU to advance a policy framework finalised in China weeks earlier, aimed at strengthening agricultural development and food security. He explained that the delegation was proposing the establishment of a joint technology transfer and incubation centre between Hubei Province and IAR.

According to Tijjani, effective technology transfer requires strong local partners, stressing the need to leverage the expertise of seasoned researchers at IAR. He noted that hosting the incubation centre would position IAR not only as a research institute but also as a China–Nigeria innovation hub for agricultural development.

Also speaking, Professor Guo Bao Yuan of the Hubei Provincial Technology Market Association thanked the Vice-Chancellor for the warm reception accorded to the delegation. He recalled Professor Yusuf’s earlier visit to Wuhan, which hosts one of the largest student populations in China, noting that their engagement led to the finalisation of two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).

Professor Yuan further referenced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to China in September 2024, during which bilateral cooperation in agricultural development between Nigeria and China was discussed. He expressed appreciation to the ABU management for its openness and willingness to collaborate.

In his response, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adamu Ahmed, described Nigeria’s relationship with China as one founded on mutual respect. He noted that China remains a global reference point in technological advancement, adding that ABU was honoured to be considered for such a strategic partnership.

Professor Ahmed said the university, particularly IAR, boasts some of the finest plant breeders in the country, expressing excitement over the proposed establishment of the innovation and incubation centre within the institute. He assured the delegation of the university’s full support and commitment to the initiative.

He further stated that ABU has maintained longstanding partnerships with Chinese organisations, noting that several Chinese companies have executed projects within the university, and pledged that the institution would continue to strengthen such collaborations.

The Vice-Chancellor was joined in receiving the delegation by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Raymond Bako; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Advancement, Research and Innovation), Professor Sanusi Aliyu Rafindadi; Special Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Ibrahim Sani Kaita; Director, Directorate of Advancement and International Education, Professor M. I. Umar-Buratai; and the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Professor S. B. Abdu.

Other members of the ABU delegation included Professor M. F. Ishiyaku, Professor I. U. Abubakar, and Professor Shehu Garki Ado of the Institute for Agricultural Research.