A top-level delegation from the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its Embassy in Nigeria recently visited the Abuja Hub of the ‘Youth in Agribusiness: Enabling scaling of innovative technologies for sustainable food solutions’, also known as the YAS project. The visit enabled the delegation to witness the project implementation outcomes first-hand and examine the critical sustainability areas.
While welcoming the guests, YAS team lead and Chief Executive Officer, IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA), Aline Mugisho, applauded the Embassy for the support, saying that through its capacity development and post-training support, YAS had helped many youths to start thriving agribusinesses. In contrast, many existing agribusinesses had been able to scale up, translating to improved livelihood and job creation for other youths.
She added, “YAS is our baby, and we can all see the growth that has happened to businesses in exponential dimensions that even the participants could not have imagined. We are pleased with what we have achieved, and our satisfaction lies in the many agribusinesses thriving because YAS stepped in.”
After a robust round-table discussion with some participants to assess the project’s impact on their businesses, the delegation proceeded to the exhibition stand to see the various products produced and packaged by the participants. This was followed by a visit to the aquaculture, horticulture, and poultry agribusiness hubs, where they witnessed ongoing activities and interacted with the participants running the hubs.
Speaking on the delegation’s assessment of the project’s outcomes, the Netherlands Youth Ambassador, Jurriaan Middelhoff, applauded the devotion and passion of the participants, saying the initiative had further shown that agriculture could help to reduce youth unemployment, especially if approached as a business and not a vocation.
He added, “To thrive in agriculture requires creativity, entrepreneurial skills, and perseverance, and you are showing all of these. Thanks to the YAS project, we try to demonstrate that you can achieve job numbers if you approach it from the agribusiness mindset, which is so exciting.
“Looking at the amazing products during the exhibition and knowing that the people behind those products are our partners who put their heart and passion into it, simply explains how they came up with new or better versions of existing products.
“You have a unique selling point: passion, and I have seen that with everyone. I also love how connections have been made across commodities. In that sense, you are not competitors but partners, which is commendable and a unique selling point for the project. I believe that participating in YAS is one of the best decisions you have made in your agribusiness. We also encourage you to spread the word in your communities.”
Senior Policy Officer, Youth, Employment and Work, Stephanie Wellink, expressed delight with the participants’ performance, noting, “I was excited seeing what you all have been able to achieve and how you are going about it. It is incredible.”
“I cannot stress enough that the innovation you are making, the little twist in how you produce your products to make them better, and what you are doing to get the authorities’ approval are inspiring, and that is what innovation is. It’s amazing and difficult to find, so synergize and make greater success out of your enterprises. It has been so inspiring seeing what you have been doing.”
In her remarks, Senior Policy Officer, Human Capital Development, Embassy of the Netherlands, Temitayo Akinbiyi, stressed that youth engagement remained central to the Netherlands’ bilateral relations with Nigeria and that the purpose of the visit was to measure the impact of the project and be sure it was demand-driven. “The visit is for us to see if we are only changing the lives of urban youth or we are also impacting the semi-urban or rural youths, and we have seen that with YAS, we have been able to affect both segments of the society.”
Other members of the delegation included Foluso Adejoro, the Senior Policy Officer for Food Security and Climate; Nienke Raap, the Policy Officer for West Africa, Department of African Affairs; Sonia Odije, the Policy Officer for Youth and Health, Consulate General of the Netherlands; and Jessica Odudu, the Projects and Communication Officer, Embassy of the Netherlands.
The participants appreciated the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ support, noting that the project had an invaluable impact on their businesses.
One of them, Precious Zamdayu, said he was involved in fish farming and spice production before the training, but that he incurred huge losses on the fish farm while the spice production operated on a low scale. However, he said his participation in the YAS training marked a turning point for the business.
He stated, “I was one of the aquaculture trainees. The experience from YAS helped me a lot on my farm, as I have increased my output. We used to battle a high mortality rate, and many fish didn’t make it to table size.
I started the business out of passion. I had no knowledge of it, and I fed the fish how I liked. But when I came to YAS, I learned so much, and they gave us a feeding chart. That helped the fish grow well, and I also reduced my costs and increased my profit.
Also, there was a gap in business intelligence in my spice production before YAS. Meanwhile, a section of the training focused on business intelligence, and after the training, I was able to start a new product called the ‘Spice Box’. Before, we sold single spices, but this time round, we produced nine different spices that most Nigerian homes use regularly. We packaged them in a box and called it the Jiamca Spice Subscription Box. People sign up for the box, and we deliver to their destination monthly or quarterly, depending on their preference. And all our products are 100 per cent organic, so they are very safe.”
Contributed by Babatunde Ajaja
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