The Republic of Malta, Consulate, His Excellency, Oluwole Aina Lawal, is to visit Ondo state as part of efforts to establish a University of Coastal Aquaculture (UCA) at Ugbonla, an oil-rich community in Ondo State.

The King of Zion, Oba Henry Ogunfeyimi, has however, assured that the Ugbonla community would provide the necessary enabling environment for the take-off of the Agricultural attaché of the consulate of Malta in Nigeria, Segun Mogbojuri, told journalists in Akure at a press conference that the institute would be fully affiliated to the University of Malta by the end of 2008 and by 2010 be upgraded to a full fledged University of Fisheries.

Mogbonjuri said, the new institute will focus on capacity building, policy advisory and investment and resource mobilization in the delivery of fisheries related empowerment programmes to the inhabitants of the nine states in the Niger delta where fishery resources are the mainstay.

According to him, the institute would also establish a number of joint ventures and bilateral cooperation between Malta and other European Union (EU) states

And as well as Nigeria in order to ensure the success of new technology of fish farming to be introduced to coastal communities in the Niger Delta.

The institute would focus on skill acquisition, short certificate courses, policy advisory services and strategic partnerships in Research and Development (R &D) among others.

He said the fishery support venture, a technical partner to the Ondo state Oil Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC) on demonstration fish farming was recently restructured to pave way for the mergence of the institute.

The institute key projects for now includes community participation in juvenile fish production, feed ingredients and silos projects, fish processing lines and "gene laboratory and genetics fish project "which would be done in conjunction with United Kingdom of aquaculture.

The major activities of the institute he said were to create employment for the people of the area and improve their yields through an improved technology in fish farming as well as to bring about general development in the region.

Enrolment of students into the institute he said would kick of early next year with adult literacy class and later to be followed with full time students who were being expected to take courses on fishery technology.

The consulate will visit Governor Olusegun Agagu of Ondo state in Akure and subsequently visit Ugbonla to inaugurate the governing council of the institute in the second week of December this year.

The King of Zion, Oba Henry Ogunfeyimi has however assured that the Ugbonla community would provide the enabling environment for the take-off of the institute and its affiliate business ventures to ensure the development of the Niger Delta region.