Throughout the month of May 2026, Nigerian stakeholders involved in technical and vocational education and training, particularly in the agricultural sector, came together for working sessions aimed at renewing training programs, with remote contributions from French professionals, particularly from the agricultural education sector.
The revision of Nigeria’s higher agricultural vocational education curricula, a reform led by the Nigerian government, aims to modernize training programs so that they better meet the needs of the various agricultural sectors.
An ambitious national reform
This revision brings together approximately 100 participants from academia, the private sector, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Livestock. It is supported by Expertise France through an International Technical Expert (ITE), Pascal Durand-Carrier.
The preliminary skills gap assessment revealed urgent needs, particularly in artificial insemination, a topic that Nigerian partners wished to explore in greater depth by drawing on French practices, as well as in aquaculture and horticulture.
Webinars : sharing French-Nigerian expertise
To address these challenges, a series of webinars was organised between France and Nigeria through the Agricultural Counsellor based at the French Embassy in Abuja, Rachid Benlafquih, with the active participation of the CEFAGRI network and French experts, in cooperation with FranceAgriMer.
The following topics were addressed, directly reflecting the needs identified by the NBTE and the areas of expertise available in France.
WATEA : lessons for training
On 6 May 2026, with a contribution from Sougrynoma Z. Soré/Koutou (IITA/CGIAR), the first webinar presented the lessons learned from the WATEA project (Women in Agricultural Technical Education and Apprenticeship), led by the IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture). Funded by the French Embassy in Nigeria, and with the involvement of the CEFAGRI network, this project aimed to train young women technicians in modern agricultural techniques, in line with agroecology, biodiversity and environmental protection.
This project provides a concrete source of inspiration for integrating gender-responsive approaches and agroecology into the new Nigerian curricula.
Aquaculture : a sector with a promising future
On 20 May 2026, Catherine Lejolivet, an aquaculture teacher at La Canourgue (EPL Lozère), who had been approached by the CEFAGRI network to share her expertise with training organisations in West Africa (Benin and Senegal), and Félix Haget, representing the company Eauzons, took part in the webinar.
The webinar explored how aquaculture can help address the challenges of climate change, agroecology and youth employability. The teacher presented the aquaculture training program at EPL Lozère (BTSA level), based on a competency-based approach, practical skills and adaptation to environmental challenges.
The presentation of Eauzons’ model, a pioneering French company in commercial aquaponics that controls the entire production chain (fish, plants and processing) through an ultra-fresh and sustainable approach, opened up avenues for developing a modern and competitive aquaculture sector in Nigeria.
The educational farm : a tool for practical training
On 11 June 2026, Eric Deboeuf, Director of the farm at EPL Saint-Gaudens, highlighted the role of educational farms operated by agricultural education establishments in agricultural training. He presented a virtual tour of the EPL Saint-Gaudens farm (185 hectares, 80 dairy cows, 250 sheep and dairy processing facilities), as well as the integration of practical training into the curricula through work placements, practical sessions and visits for learners, and the farm’s integration into its local area through economic, social and environmental links.
This could serve as a model for creating agricultural farms or educational farms in Nigeria, aligned with the needs of the sector.
Animal artificial insemination : a key issue for livestock farming
Animal artificial insemination was identified as a major skills gap in the assessment. Three webinars were devoted to this topic, with contributions from recognized French experts.
On 13 May 2026, Cyril Cabrol presented the Eliance organisation (113 members and support provided to 80,000 farmers in France), the French professional certification for animal artificial insemination technicians (CAFTI), and training programs (157 technicians trained in 2025) : a possible model for structuring a Nigerian certification in animal artificial insemination.
On 19 May 2026, Sandrine Bourillon, from SYNETICS, focused on cattle, goat and sheep genetics, and on the importance of animal artificial insemination in improving the genetic quality of herds. This led participants to consider the possibility of integrating these practices into Nigerian curricula.
On 21 May 2026, Maxime Banville and Édouard Bienassis presented IFIP (the French Institute for the Pig Industry) and its expertise in pig genetics and animal artificial insemination, as well as its “train the trainers” program for training local trainers. This provided an example of a partnership aimed at strengthening skills in pig farming.
A mutually beneficial cooperation
The webinars were very well received by Nigerian participants, particularly representatives of the NBTE, the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock, training institutions and the Sector Skills Council for Agriculture (SSC4A).
The exchanges made it possible to identify concrete avenues for integrating animal artificial insemination, aquaculture and educational farms into the new curricula, strengthening Franco-Nigerian cooperation, and discussing the training of Nigerian trainers in France or Nigeria, partnerships with French companies such as Eliance, IFIP and Eauzons to equip training centres, and the adaptation of French educational materials to the Nigerian context.
This series of webinars demonstrated that French expertise in agricultural training can play a key role in modernizing Nigeria’s agricultural sector. By drawing on concrete examples — certifications, educational farms and public-private partnerships — and responding to the urgent needs identified by the NBTE, Franco-Nigerian cooperation is paving the way for more effective vocational training adapted to realities on the ground.
These exchanges confirmed that France and Nigeria share a common vision : to train skilled professionals capable of meeting the challenges of modern and sustainable agriculture.
The momentum thus generated will continue starting in September 2026 with a mission to Nigeria for representatives of French companies and the DGER who participated in these webinars, a mission organized by FranceAgriMer in collaboration with the Agricultural Affairs Counsellor, followed by a visit by a Nigerian delegation to France during the Livestock Summit in the first week of October 2026.
Article prepared with Pascal Durand-Carrier, International Technical Expert at the NBTE in Abuja – pascal.durand-carrier@expertisefrance.fr
Contacts : Rachid Benlafquih, Regional Agricultural Affairs Counsellor for Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon at the French Embassy in Abuja – rachid.benlafquih@dgtresor.gouv.fr
Vanessa Forsans, Coordinator of the CEFAGRI network (Conseil expertise formation agricole à l’international) and co-coordinator, with William Gex, of the West Africa–Central Africa network (BRECI/DGER/MAASA) – vanessa.forsans@educagri.fr
