Sustainable Agribusiness: Stakeholders Launch Project For Youths

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, CGIAR, in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA, the Deucht government, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, FAO, and other partners have launched the Youth in Agribusiness, YAS, project, targeted at encouraging and supporting young Nigerians in Agribusiness.

The Project
YAS aims to create viable agribusiness enterprises using innovative Climate-smart technologies and business practices that increase income and productivity and improve access to finance and markets.

The project targets 10,000 young Nigerians between the ages of 18-35 with interest to start agribusiness or is already into agribusiness but requires more skills to scale up production and the beneficiaries would be drawn from both rural and urban areas.

Youth in Agribusiness would expose beneficiaries to economic opportunities available along the value chains of Cassava, soybean, groundnut, maize, horticulture, aquaculture and poultry.

IITA
Speaking at the event which was held at the IITA centre in Abuja, Nigeria’s Capital, the Director General of the IITA and CGIAR Regional Director for Africa Dr. Simeon Ehui said youth and young women are the drivers of sustainable, inclusive agricultural transformation.

“The role of youth and especially young women as drivers of sustainable and inclusive agricultural sector transformation needs to be emphasised again and again”

“YAS is a partnership between IITA and the Deucht ministry of foreign trade and development cooperation, it is implemented in collaboration with ‘bop inc” a Deucht based NGO based partner that will play a significant role in this programme

Dr. Ehui said the project is built on three pillars, which are capacity development, business training, and access to finance and market. He further appreciated the Deucht government for its investment in the project.

Deucht Government
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands to Nigeria, Mr. Wouter Plomp said at least half of the beneficiaries of the YAS project would be women.

Mr. Plomp said agriculture has moved from hoes and cutlasses to climate smart agriculture, innovations, and more.

“Agriculture is no longer just about hoes and cutlasses, it’s about drones, climate smart farming and sustainable technologies, it’s about supporting Nigerian agripreneurs to take their rightful place in the global market exporting not just producing but innovation”

According to him “what does Youth in Agribusiness project offer completely, first of all business training and capacity development, comprehensive training programme merging Nigeria’s agricultural practices with DEUCHT innovations, we want to build a bridge between Nigeria’s rich legacies and modern methodologies

He said the mission of the project is to create a group of young, vibrant, innovative agriprenuers who would ensure Nigeria’s food security and place Nigeria at the forefront of global agricultural innovations.

Vice President
The Technical Advisor to the Vice President on Agriculture Ms Marion Moon who represented Vice President Kashim Shettima called for synergy between stakeholders to harmonise projects for a common cause as there many programmes trying to do the same thing.

She urged stakeholders to create an inclusive enabling environment that carries everyone along while calling for climate change issues to be prioritized.

Shakirat Sadiq