At the just-concluded IITA Board meeting in Abuja, the IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) received the board members and showcased the initiative’s impact in the past decade.
Some beneficiaries of the training and support initiatives by the various projects under the IYA exhibited their products while sharing their training and business experience with the institute’s board members and senior management staff.
The board members, led by its chairman, Prof. Roel Merckx, noted that youth involvement in agribusiness has the dual benefits of creating jobs and boosting food security.
IYA also had the opportunity to showcase its impact at the IITA-CGIAR high-level stakeholders’ engagement meeting hosted by the board in Abuja. The Nigerian Vice-President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, Kingsley Uzoma, applauded IYA for empowering about one million youths in the value chain of various commodities in the agribusiness space.
According to Uzoma, the Vice President appreciates IITA’s contribution to the agricultural sector, particularly in food security, sustainability, job and wealth creation, and the transfer of innovative agricultural technologies.
He noted, “As a government that is interested in the economic and livelihood enhancement of our youths, he (the Vice President) recognizes and expresses his heartfelt gratitude to the IITA’s Youth in Agribusiness (IYA) Office, which, based on record, has trained and empowered about one million youths in the agribusiness space, and is aspiring to get 10 million youths empowered through agribusiness interventions.”
Similarly, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, stressed the role of the youths in diversifying the economy through agriculture.
While commending IITA for being a brand, especially in agricultural innovations and food security, he pledged that the government’s partnership with IITA would be renewed as the institute’s goals align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister added that Nigeria’s youthful population (with 60 to 65 percent averaging 19 years) can potentially diversify the economy with an agriculture-led diversification strategy.
IITA Director General Dr Simeon Ehui restated the institute’s commitment to increasing opportunities for young people.
He stated, “Through IITA’s influence, we want to create 10 million decent jobs for youths and women, reduce the importation of food, and increase export earnings.”
The DG pointed out that the institute had revised its strategy (IITA Strategy 2024-2030) to improve food and nutrition security, increase income from the value chains of various commodities, expand opportunities for women and youths, increase climate resilience of smallholder farmers, and improve soil health and agronomy production efficiencies.
Dignitaries present at the stakeholders’ engagement are IITA board members, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Temitope Fashedemi; Deputy Directors-General of IITA; Board of Trustees Chair of WorldFish, Prof Baba Yusuf Abubakar; Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Saliu Mustapha; Diplomats; and other top government functionaries.
Contributed by Babatunde Ajaja
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