Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, the National
Peace Corps Association will honor one of its own “graduates,”
Atiku Abubakar. Mr. Abubakar has served not only as Nigeria’s Vice
President, but is also the founder of The American University of
Nigeria, the only American-style University south of the Sahara.
As a young boy, Mr. Abubakar was taught by American Peace Corps
teachers. He had never responded well to rote memorization, the
hallmark of education in Nigeria at the time. When the Peace Corps
teachers encouraged his independent thinking, it changed his life.
Years later, successful in business and politics, he wanted to
provide to others the education he had received.

Six years ago he opened the doors of The American University of
Nigeria. It now enrolls 1200 students on a totally wireless
campus—the largest single user of Google in all of Nigeria—and has
graduated its first three classes. Its Board includes Archbishop
Tutu, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, a former head of the National
Science Foundation and prominent Nigerian and American
academics and business leaders. It is providing an alternative
model to often troubled higher education systems in West Africa.
Hosted by journalist Bill Moyers, first Deputy Director of the Peace
Corps, His Excellency Atiku Abubukar will participate in a
discussion panel of Peace Corps alumni, including the President of
Rwanda and former President of Peru. The celebration will focus on
“The Future of the Peace Corps” at the National Theater in
Washington, D.C. on September 24.

The One Young World Summit will be held in Johannesburg in 2013, after the city’s bid was successful.

One Young World is an international forum which encourages debate and the bringing-together of the world’s most promising young people. It aims to foster and cultivate a sense of belonging throughout the world, and incubates the very brightest people “of leadership calibre” on their way to political careers and significance.

They hold summits around the world and invite young people, dignitaries, humanitarian specialists and celebrities to take part. The last One Young World Summit was held in Switzerland where the announcement was made that South Africa would host the 2013 event.

The young people make resolutions, which are the focus of the summit. They are based on a poll of young people’s reflections on what needs to be done in the world and what ought to be a priority. This poll asks There are counsellors who guide and assist the One Young World Summit participants in their decisions.

Agriculture is going to be one of Nigeria’s most robust industries in the coming years, as the country expands economically.

Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Hartmann, said that the agricultural sector was going to be in the forefront of the economic upturn. Nigeria is seeking more jobs, better national health, and a more economic growth, with Hartmann says the agricultural sector is going to be a huge part of.

Hartmann was speaking at the National Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) in Ibadan. NISER is one of Nigeria’s biggest think-tanks, providing research and policy analysis throughout Nigeria’s state government, federal government and private sectors.

44% of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product comes from the agricultural industries. About 70% of rural Nigerians are heavily involved in agricultural projects and enterprises.

Hartmann said that in order for agriculture to flourish in Nigeria, more money would have to be spent in the research and development of both the agricultural sector itself and the infrastructure that supports it. This, combined with the world’s growing demand for food, is going to be the winning formula for Nigeria’s agricultural and economic prosperity.

One thing which Hartmann did say needed more research was protection against biological threats to Nigeria’s agricultural enterprises. He compared the industry to the military, which already has protections against biological warfare, and suggested that agriculture should have a similar degree of protection.

Most young people from rural areas all over the world tend to head towards towns when they grow up, in search of a better lifestyle. Hartmann said that encouraging young people to be interested in agriculture and production would result in more prosperous rural areas and a healthier economy. Tapping in to the youth and treating it as a valuable asset would lead to a much healthier sector. Hartmann also aims to make financial services more available to farmers, traders, producers, processors and others in the agricultural sector.

There are some parts of Nigeria which have so far been unspoilt by the rigours of modern life, and the reliable electricity that comes with it. Agricultural growth has been more pedestrian in these sectors, but is speeding up now thanks to renewed investment in this sort of infrastructure. The next phase in the investment cycle is addressing two more issues facing the agricultural sector – the fact that uptake of technology has been relatively slow in some areas, and that the workers are not as skilled as they could be if money was spent on training. Technology, specifically can be used to increase productivity in every stage of the agricultural process. Hartmann assured the audience that these apparent problems facing Nigerian agriculture could be turned into profits with the diligent application of investment and expertise.

Professor Olufemi Taiwo, The Director General of NISER, said that the lecture came at the perfect time considering that the government is trying to “position” agriculture at the forefront of Nigeria’s economic growth. The outlook for Nigeria’s agricultural sector is certainly positive.