EdoJobs rolls out EdoYAP, plans intensive agribusiness training for youths

POISED to deepen its agricultural development initiatives, the Edo State Government through the Edo State Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs) has concluded plans to run a new agricultural training scheme for youths in the state tagged Edo Youth in Agriculture Programme (Edo-YAP).

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Skills Development and Jobs Creation, Mrs Ukinebo Dare, in a chat with journalists, said Governor Godwin Obaseki’s desire to meaningfully engage youths in agriculture led to the launch of the EdoYAP.

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She said youths who will be enrolled in the scheme will undergo training at the Edo Food and Agriculture Cluster (Edo-FAC), at Ehor, in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of the state, which has a live-in facility for intensive training in different fields of food production, processing and marketing.

She said the areas of specialisation for the programme includes livestock farming, crop cultivation and other agro-allied businesses, noting that the state government would ensure that the trainees get the needed support to establish and run their farms in different locations across the state.

According to her, “The state government intends to deepen its initiatives in agriculture by providing capacity building opportunities for youths to make agriculture attractive for them. This is why we have decided to come up with this programme.”

Noting that the agricultural sector plays a strategic role in economic sustainability and prosperity, she said it has become expedient to embark on the programme to groom a new generation of agribusiness entrepreneurs in the state.

She added, “We aim to support and encourage young people to take up agriculture and agribusiness for gainful employment. The young intending farmers will be trained extensively on diverse aspects of agriculture, especially livestock farming, crop cultivation, and agro-allied businesses.”

She noted that the Edo-FAC facility in Ehor has a fully equipped training center with a well-furnished hostel facility, which will be used for intending trainees not resident in the community.