The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project has officially handed over a modern Greenhouse Facility to the management of the FCT College of Education (COE), Zuba, as part of ongoing efforts to build climate resilience, promote youth-driven agriculture and integrate sustainable farming methods into educational and community frameworks.

Delivering his keynote address at the event, the Mandate Secretary of the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), Comrade Abdullahi Suleiman Ango who was represented by the FCT ACReSAL Project Coordinator, Mrs. Caroline Opara, underscored that the initiative aligns directly with the ACReSAL Project's mission to promote climate-smart agriculture. He described the facility as a direct and necessary response to the increasing threats of climate volatility across the Territory.

"This facility stands as a testament to the power of strategic collaboration and our shared vision for a climate-resilient future," Comrade Ango stated. "Under the visionary leadership of the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike and the Honourable Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, the FCTA remains fully committed to nurturing partnerships that will help restore our green landscape while enhancing food security."

He charged the college leadership to leverage the project as a practical platform to teach students, lecturers and local farmers from the Zuba community the fundamentals and hands-on applications of modern agriculture.

Welcoming the delegation and accepting the facility on behalf of the institution, the Provost of COE Zuba, Dr. Sule Mundi, represented by the Deputy Provost (Administration), Dr. (Mrs.) Adegbemisola Olotu, expressed profound appreciation to the ACReSAL team for selecting the college as a beneficiary. He emphasized that the facility would fundamentally transform agricultural education at the institution.
"This Greenhouse Facility is a game-changer for our instructional capacity," Dr. Mundi noted. "As a teacher-training institution, our mission is to equip future educators with modern, practical skills and this facility now serves as a living laboratory for that purpose."

He assured the delegation that management would take full ownership of the facility, guaranteeing its proper maintenance and optimal academic utilization.

Highlighting early operational successes, the FCT ACReSAL Project Coordinator, Mrs. Caroline Opara, whose speech was delivered by the project's Agricultural Officer, Mr. Kayode Sanni, revealed that the greenhouse had already recorded its first harvest of high-quality cucumbers since installation.

Mrs. Opara noted that capacity-building initiatives have been running concurrently with the physical setup, bringing together college lecturers, students, extension agents, and local farmers for comprehensive practical training.
"Building on the achievements recorded here in Zuba, FCT ACReSAL has finalized plans to scale up greenhouse technology by integrating it into proposed demonstration farms to be established across all six Area Councils of the FCT," Mrs. Opara stated.

The event concluded with the official commissioning of the greenhouse facility and the symbolic presentation of some agricultural inputs to the college.