The 2nd Agricultural Policy Research Network (APRNet) International Conference and Agrifood Systems Stakeholders’ Forum has kicked off at the University of Port Harcourt (UniPort).
The three-day conference, which started Monday 17th August and will run till Wednesday 19th August, 2026, is holding at the CBN Centre of Excellence, University of Port Harcourt. It brings together academics, researchers, policymakers, farmers, entrepreneurs and students.
The conference is themed: “Advancing Inclusive and Resilient Agrifood Systems in a Changing Climate through Entrepreneurship, Digital Innovation and Value Chain Development.”
Declaring the conference open, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Chike Princewill Chike, warmly welcomed participants to the University and described agriculture as the foundation of human survival and the bedrock of every society.
Prof. Chike expressed concern over the declining interest of young people in agriculture and called on all stakeholders to deliberately make agriculture more attractive, exciting and rewarding to children and youth by presenting it as a viable pathway to economic prosperity and sustainable development.
He particularly urged Nigerians to embrace climate-smart agriculture and the planting of economic trees, noting that agriculture goes beyond food security and holds huge potentials for wealth creation, employment generation and national development.
In his opening address, the President of APRNet, Prof. Anthony O. Onoja, thanked all participants for honouring the invitation and warmly welcomed them to the conference. He noted that the gathering is aimed at deliberating on how to address the issue of hunger ravaging the world, charting a way forward on how to handle it, and making robust policies that will address hunger issues in the country.
Delivering the keynote address on the topic “Climate-Smart Root and Tuber Crops Innovation for Sustainable Agrifood Systems,” Dr. Godwin Asomugha from the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, charged Nigerians, especially young people, to embrace the enormous opportunities embedded in the root and tuber crops value chain.
Dr. Asomugha emphasized the need for commercialization, effective dissemination, value addition and adoption of climate-smart innovations in root and tuber crops production to ensure resilience, profitability and sustainability in the face of climate change.
The conference is ongoing with paper presentations, panel discussions and exhibitions.
TAGDev 2.0 University of Port Harcourt and implementing partners (RUFORUM and Mastercard Foundation) are proudly participating at the forum and continues to champion the transformation of agricultural education for youth entrepreneurship and food systems development.
#APRNET2026 #TAGDev2 #UNIPORT #NRCRI #ClimateSmartAgriculture #RootAndTuberCrops
