The Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, on Thursday, kicked off a two-day capacity-building program for extension agents, lead farmers, and relevant ministry staff on computer appreciation, digital record-keeping, and Microsoft Office.
The training aims to equip farmers and extension workers with modern methods of information gathering and dissemination to enhance productivity and save the time spent on manual processes.
Flagging off the training, which took place at the Enugu State Tech Hub office at Independence Layout, Enugu, Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Patrick Ubru, said the initiative aligns with Governor Peter Mbah’s e-governance agenda, which focuses on transitioning from manual to digital processes.
Ubru emphasized the importance of moving with current trends instead of clinging to outdated methods, urging participants to take the training seriously and embrace new technological approaches in agriculture.
“Time has changed. Please learn this because it will help you. Don’t feel too old to learn. You can learn regardless of your age,” he said.
He noted that the governor quickly approved the idea of the training to ensure farmers adopt digital methods before the commencement of this year’s farming season.
Explaining the essence of the training, the Head of Planning, Research, and Statistics in the ministry, Emmanuella Madueke, said the program prepares farmers and staff to key into the governor’s e-governance initiative, which will ultimately boost agricultural production.
She added that the training enables participants to collect and share data more efficiently. “For every data we request from them, it should be sent in Excel sheets, Microsoft Word, or any digital format. This ensures we have records that can be stored and referred to in the future.”
Emmanuella also pointed out that extension agents will now understand that information can be accessed digitally, moving away from traditional manual methods.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Victor Ngwu, explained that the training was organized to enhance the collection and analysis of agricultural data, noting that manual data collection is slow and inefficient.
