{"id":14662,"date":"2026-06-20T12:36:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/count-on-me-for-youth-in-agribusiness-revolution-chief-obasanjo\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T21:23:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:23:05","slug":"count-on-me-for-youth-in-agribusiness-revolution-chief-obasanjo","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/count-on-me-for-youth-in-agribusiness-revolution-chief-obasanjo\/","title":{"rendered":"Count on me for youth in agribusiness revolution \u2013 Chief Obasanjo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and <a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/\">IITA<\/a> Goodwill Ambassador, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has reiterated commitment to work with IITA towards expanding the youth in agribusiness initiatives. Chief Obasanjo stated this during IITA\u2019s visit to his office in Abeokuta as a follow-up on the recommended action points during his participation at the Agribusiness Investment forum organized in June 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_26062\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26062\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26062\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ITA-DDG-Partnership-for-Delivery-Dr-Kenton-Dashiell-and-other-staff-of-IITA-with-H.E.-Chief-Olusegun-Obasanjo.jpg\" alt=\"IITA DDG Partnership for Delivery, Dr Kenton Dashiell and other staff of IITA with H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26062\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">IITA DDG Partnership for Delivery, Dr Kenton Dashiell and other staff of IITA with H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Highlighting the issues, Chief Obasanjo mentioned that society glamorizes trivial matters while the value of agriculture is overlooked. He stressed the urgent need to provide compelling reasons for young people to embrace agribusiness. This encompasses showcasing the advantages of modern equipment, efficient production, and cutting-edge technology. He emphasized that viewing agriculture as a business rather than a development concern is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He suggested that IITA organize a workshop involving high-level stakeholders and youth representatives to set up an agribusiness investment fund and achieve agricultural transformation. The objective of this workshop would be to know and explore how to make agriculture attractive to the youth. The workshop will provide insight into what the youth want to engage in agriculture fully, how they want it, and what they have to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_26064\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26064\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26064\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Dr-Kenton-Dashiell-and-other-staff-of-IITA-in-a-meeting-with-Former-President-H.E.-Chief-Olusegun-Obasanjo.jpg\" alt=\"Dr Kenton Dashiell and other staff of IITA in a meeting with Former President H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. \" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26064\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr Kenton Dashiell and other staff of IITA in a meeting with Former President H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also emphasized the importance of considering small-scale farmers in any initiative promoting agricultural industrialization, food security, and sustainability in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe need to know what the youth really need, and I will advise you to gather 15 or so people to channel a way forward. They need to be involved in this discussion, with policymakers and other stakeholders who will make the vision achievable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Contributed by Jesutofunmi Robinson<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and IITA Goodwill Ambassador, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has reiterated commitment to work with IITA towards expanding the youth in agribusiness initiatives.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":14663,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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