PROFILE – DR A.A. FADIYIMU

Dr. Akinyemi Albert Fadiyimu is a seasoned academician and administrator who has served in leadership positions within the academia, international research and professional circles. Dr. Fadiyimu trained as an Animal Scientist and started lecturing at the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure since 1998. He is a certified master trainer in Agribusiness and Value Chain Studies from Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland, and the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. He rose through the ranks to attain the position of Chief Lecturer in 2018 and became the acting Provost of the College in 2019 and later substantive Provost from August 2020 till date.

Before his appointment as Provost, he was the coordinator for vocational training and short courses, such as inclusive contract farming and a wide range of other viable enterprises. As well as facilitating the development and implementation of the first ever agricultural value chain curriculum in Nigeria. He has contributed immensely to the academic enterprise of several institutions such as Landmark University, Omu-Aran where he worked as a Senior Lecturer while on sabbatical leave.

His research focuses on the utilization of medicinal plants and other non-conventional feed sources as supplements in livestock feeds, as well as on agricultural value chain analysis. He has presented numerous conference papers and published journal articles at local and foreign conferences and in notable scientific journals. He has equally jointly authored two books on Animal Agriculture. Furthermore, he taught courses in Animal Production especially ruminant production, agricultural biochemistry and nutrition, pasture management, research methods, agricultural value chain, etc. at the National diploma (ND), Higher Diploma (HND) and B.Sc. levels. He has supervised over 100 ND, 60 HND, 10 B.Sc. and co-supervised 2 M.Sc. project students till date.

He is a registered Animal Scientist and a member of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science and Nigerian Society for Animal Production, among other professional bodies. Furthermore, he is widely travelled, attending and speaking at conferences, workshops, and seminars. He has also bagged several scholarships and awards, such as John Holt Ltd. University Scholarship and the Australia Awards Africa.

The latter gave him the opportunity to explore the agricultural industry in Australia and in Ghana, in the process gaining exposure on the workings of modern production and supply chains of perishable agricultural produce like milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables from the farm to supermarket shelves, with particular focus on factors influencing consumer preferences along the chain. His interest is in linking small, medium, and large-scale actors to agricultural value chain opportunities and fostering students and youth engagement in profitable agribusiness. He is happily married with children.