Food systems company Origin Tech Group Nigeria Limited has signed a partnership agreement with Obafemi Awolowo University to establish a centre of excellence aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural value chain and improving food security.

The agreement, sealed through a memorandum of understanding recently at the university’s campus in Ile-Ife, will combine the company’s expertise in mechanised farming and agribusiness with the institution’s strengths in research, teaching and manpower development.

The MoU was executed on behalf of the firm by its Executive Director of Corporate Services, Olusesan Ayeni, while the university was represented by its Vice-Chancellor, Adebayo Bamire.

Ayeni said the partnership is designed to create a best-in-class centre of agriculture in the South-West of Nigeria, leveraging the region’s farming potential through a collaboration that links large-scale mechanised farming capabilities with academic knowledge and capacity building.

He noted that the initiative aims to deepen Nigeria’s food system by exposing students and researchers to modern, technology-driven agricultural practices.

“The overarching purpose of the agreement is to create a corridor of excellence and opportunities by providing scholars and young minds with practical, knowledge-driven exposure to smart farming methods that ensure large-scale commercial agriculture,” Ayeni said in a statement.

He added that the university’s reputation and academic environment make it an ideal hub for advancing agricultural productivity and supporting mechanisation efforts in the country.

Bamire welcomed the partnership, describing it as timely and aligned with the university’s goal of strengthening industry collaboration to enhance research impact and employment opportunities.

“This agreement matches our quest to bring the best opportunities from industry players to scale scholarship into solutions that deliver food security, job creation and wealth,” he said.

He pledged that the university would provide the necessary support to ensure the objectives of the partnership are achieved.

The collaboration is expected to focus on training, research, mechanisation and agribusiness development, positioning the planned centre as a key platform for advancing sustainable agriculture in Nigeria.