{"id":16996,"date":"2026-06-20T12:54:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/atasp-1-set-to-begin-nationwide-training-of-youth-on-seed-production\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T18:19:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T18:19:46","slug":"atasp-1-set-to-begin-nationwide-training-of-youth-on-seed-production","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/atasp-1-set-to-begin-nationwide-training-of-youth-on-seed-production\/","title":{"rendered":"ATASP-1 set to begin nationwide training of youth on seed production"},"content":{"rendered":"The Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program, Phase One (ATASP-1) has concluded plans to train over 200,000 youth nationwide on seed production, processing, and packaging.\n<div id=\"attachment_1927\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/960_16106_n.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1927\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/960_16106_n.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of participants brainstorming on issues during the meeting.\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1927\" \/><\/a>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-1927\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cross section of participants brainstorming on issues during the meeting.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nThis decision was reached during a strategic meeting held in Abuja to discuss the process of implementation. Speaking after the meeting, the ATASP-1 Outreach Program Coordinator,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/tarawali-gbassey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gbassey Tarawali<\/a>\u00a0explained that the training has huge potentials to \u201ccreate employment and wealth across the value chains of the three ATASP-1 mandate crops\u2015rice, cassava, and sorghum.\u201d\n\nThe National Coordinator of ATASP-1, Haruna Akwashiki, stated that the training would commence in February and would be conducted in three locations\u2015ICRISAT Kano, NCRI Badeggi, and IITA Kubwa-Abuja. Akwashiki explained that the\u00a0program was aimed at \u201cclosing the demand gap in seed production in Nigeria.\u201d\n\nThe Technical Consultant to the program, O. Oyebanji, lauded the idea of \u201ccreating youth seed entrepreneurs, as it will reduce youth unemployment and the seed deficit in Nigeria.\u201d\n\nATASP-1, which is a five-year program being implemented in the seven states of Kano, Jigawa, Enugu, Anambra, Niger, Kebbi, and Sokoto, aims \u201cto contribute to employment generation and shared wealth creation along the commodity value chains (cassava, rice, and sorghum), as well as food and nutrition security.\u201d","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program, Phase One (ATASP-1) has concluded plans to train over 200,000 youth nationwide on seed production, processing, and packaging.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":16997,"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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