Today, the Center for Climate Smart Agriculture at Cosmopolitan University held a follow-up meeting with the leadership of the National Cotton Association of Nigeria to deepen discussions around a strategic partnership aimed at revitalizing the country’s cotton industry. Building on a previously signed agreement, both organizations reaffirmed their shared vision to stop the export of raw cotton and instead implement a full-cycle processing model—from cultivation to ginning, spinning, and textile production—within local communities. This approach is designed to retain value locally, generate skilled employment, and strengthen climate resilience in cotton-producing regions.

The initiative, led by Dr Kanya, is backed by five professors from Kano and Jigawa States who are providing academic leadership and technical oversight. The Center for Climate Smart Agriculture has already developed agronomic protocols and climate-adaptive guidelines, and all activities will be co-designed with farmers to ensure relevance and local ownership. Demonstration farms will be launched in Kano, Jigawa, Abuja, and Katsina, with Kano as the initial pilot site due to its active producer clusters. The project will also leverage relationships with government allies when advantageous—one partner from Kano was recently appointed as Special Adviser on CSR to the Ghanaian government, opening avenues for cross-border collaboration.

A key component of the rollout is a three-day “Train-the-Trainer” programme scheduled for August in Abuja, targeting state coordinators and cooperative secretaries with technical and managerial toolkits. The sessions align with national cooperative standards and will feature contributions from international partners, including Standard Chartered. To guide evidence-based decision-making, a value-chain study will be conducted, modeled after CASA’s 2023 baseline in Jigawa. Local researchers will lead the study, with input from farmers and processors who have been invited to submit brief problem statements to shape the research agenda.

Technology will play a central role, with the unveiling of a mobile application designed to capture real-time field data and feed into CCSA’s climate analytics dashboard. Although a technical glitch interrupted the demo, a smartphone preview confirmed the platform’s readiness. Youth volunteers will also be engaged as data collectors, extension agents, and tech support, coordinated by state-nominated focal points. In preparation for full implementation, a farm mapping exercise will group producers into clusters to facilitate efficient resource delivery and aggregation.

Guided by the mantra, “Make agriculture smarter, make the countryside better, make the farmer happier,” the partnership aims to deliver a sustainable, inclusive, and locally driven transformation of Nigeria’s cotton sector.