Dr. Yilkudi Nengak Elisha

Dr. Yilkudi Nengak Elisha is an agricultural extension and rural development specialist with over three decades of experience spanning education, local government administration, and state-level agricultural policy. He currently serves as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Plateau State, Nigeria. As the Ministry's chief administrative officer, he oversees policy execution, civil service management, financial control, and institutional continuity. He also chairs the State Project Implementation Committees for four World Bank-funded programmes: the Rural Agricultural Access and Marketing Project (RAAMP), Agro-climatic Resilience in Semi-arid Landscapes (ACRESAL), Livestock Productivity Resilience (LPRES), and NG-CARES. Previously, Dr. Elisha served as Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, where he led agricultural policy development, budget preparation and defence, and the Ministry's representation at the National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development. He has also served as Advisory Committee Secretary of Kanke Local Government Council. Earlier in his career, he lectured in agriculture and headed the Department of Agriculture at the School of Preliminary Studies, Keffi. He holds a Ph.D., M.Sc., and B.Agric. from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as well as a Master of Public Administration and Policy from Miva Open University of Nigeria (2026). His additional qualifications include a Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Galilee International Management Institute, Israel, and a Certificate in Rural and Community Development from the Korea Institute for Rural Development. Dr. Elisha has published extensively on rural development, agricultural extension, and water and sanitation. Fluent in English, Hausa, and Ngas, he brings a wealth of academic knowledge, administrative experience, and policy expertise to advancing agricultural development, institutional effectiveness, and rural community resilience.