The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Youth Development has partnered with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to expand youth participation in agriculture through the launch of the Youth in Agribusiness Land Trust Fund (YALTF).
The initiative was unveiled on Tuesday in Abuja during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and IITA aimed at creating new opportunities for young Nigerians in the agricultural sector.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, said the programme was designed to harness the country’s youth population as a key driver of national development.
“As we have always emphasised in our engagements, Nigerian youth population remains the greatest asset for our country,” Olawande said.
He noted that empowering young people with the right skills and opportunities would strengthen the agricultural sector and support national economic growth.
“When provided with the right opportunities, skills, and enabling environment, young people can become powerful drivers of economic growth, innovation, and transformation within the agricultural sector,” the minister said.
Olawande explained that the initiative also seeks to tackle one of the major barriers preventing young people from entering agriculture, limited access to land.
“I am particularly happy by the innovative framework presented by IITA, especially the approach designed to address one of the greatest challenges faced by young people in agriculture, lack of access to land,” he said.
According to him, the ministry will make available land resources within 42 National Youth Development Centres across the country to support youth-led agribusiness ventures.
He stressed that the programme will also focus on providing participants with modern agricultural knowledge, exposure to value-chain opportunities and climate-smart agricultural practices needed to build sustainable agribusiness enterprises.
Olawande added that the collaborative framework of the initiative, involving state governments, development partners and private sector actors, would help ensure its long-term sustainability and impact.
He further revealed that more than six million young Nigerians in the ministry’s database have already expressed interest in agriculture and would benefit from the training component of the programme.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Simeon Ehui, said the partnership demonstrates a commitment to creating economic opportunities for young Nigerians through agriculture.
“Nigeria stands at a defining moment,” Ehui said.
“With more than 60 percent of its population under the age of thirty, Nigeria possesses one of the largest and most dynamic youth populations in the world. If properly harnessed, this demographic asset can become a powerful engine of economic growth, innovation, and national transformation.”
He noted that many young Nigerians interested in agriculture face barriers such as limited access to land, finance, markets and modern agribusiness skills.
“If we truly want to solve youth unemployment in Nigeria, we must make agriculture not only respectable, but profitable for young people,” he said.
Ehui added that the Youth in Agribusiness Land Trust Fund would create a national platform for young people to access land, training and enterprise opportunities.
“By repurposing 42 Federal Youth Development Centres across the country and consolidating their land assets into a dedicated land trust, Nigeria is creating a national platform through which young people can access land, training, and enterprise opportunities,” he said.
He further disclosed that the initiative aims to train six million young Nigerians over the next three years and support the development of youth-led agribusiness enterprises.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Maryam Keshinro, said the partnership represents a major step toward unlocking economic opportunities for Nigerian youths.
“Our goal as a ministry is clear, to unlock economic opportunities for our youths by expanding their access to land, digital farming tools, and climate-resilient agricultural practices,” she said.
Keshinro assured stakeholders that the ministry would ensure effective implementation of the programme to deliver measurable results and ensure that no young Nigerian willing to participate in agriculture is left behind.
The Youth in Agribusiness Land Trust Fund is expected to boost agricultural productivity, strengthen food security and support youth-led economic growth in Nigeria.