The Director-General of OYSADA Dr. Debo Akande accompanied by officials of the Oyo State government visited Methodist High School (MHS), Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan on 21 January 2021, to assess the progress of the Start Them Early Program in the school.

Methodist High School is one of the initial six schools in Oyo State selected to partake in the IITA initiative which seeks to steer young students towards agriculture and agribusiness as a career path and provide them with hands-on experiences required for a lifetime of success in the industry.

In line with its objectives, STEP-Oyo embarked on a facelift and infrastructural transformation of MHS with the construction of a Science Laboratory, Home Economics laboratory and a 1,500 capacity fish pond.

The school toilets were also refurbished and the premises transformed through landscaping.

The inspection team was welcomed by Vice Principal MHS, Mrs. Azeez Olabisi who expressed gratitude on behalf of the school to the IITA and OYSADA for bringing MHS into the program. She said STEP were already yielding benefits for the students and expressed high hopes for the future.

Mrs. Azeez added that the new STEP-facilitated facilities would boost students’ learning and academic performance.

Addressing students at Methodist High School after touring the STEP facilities, Dr. Akande praised them for embracing the program and urged them to declutter their minds of counterproductive notions about agriculture and instead explore the vistas of rewarding careers available along the agribusiness value chain. 

Dr. Akande stressed that collaboration between all stakeholders including teachers and students is necessary to sustain the initiative and ensure objectives are achieved.

Oyo State STEP Coordinator Mr. Adedayo Adefioye revealed that three countries including Kenya, Congo, and Nigeria are participating in the STEP Project with Oyo State being the first to implement the STEP initiative in Nigeria.

OYSADA estimates that through STEP, about 25,000 secondary school students will be trained in modern agriculture and agribusiness by 2024, which will see more students continue their pursuit of postsecondary education in the agricultural disciplines and related careers.

The STEP program is a key part of OYSADA’s Agribusiness Education Development Programme which aims to attract youth to and retain them in the agriculture sector so they become the engine driving new agriculture and agribusiness enterprises as well as rural transformation in Oyo State.