THE International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has said youths’ involvement in agriculture is critical in transforming Nigeria’s food systems, noting that the size and youthfulness of the nation’s population offer a great potential for the sector. IFAD Nigeria Country Director, Ms Dede Ekoue, made this observation at the 2022 edition of the Federal Government of Nigeria/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) National Youth Forum in Abuja, recently with the theme “Promoting Sustainable Youth Empowerment in Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship.” Ekoue said agribusiness, entrepreneurship and technology could be utilised to improve the livelihood of youths and women in the country, thereby enhancing food security, boosting economic growth and accessing decent employment.
According to her, in spite of the youthfulness of the country’s population, the average age of farmers is 60 years, pointing out that the sector was yet to maximise Nigeria’s demographic dividend of a young population. “Nigeria’s young women and men should remain top priority by all of us. They deserve our support to reach their full potential, allowing them to prosper and also ensuring sustainable productive life.
“Agricultural development presents an opportunity to meet young people’s aspirations for stable jobs and access to social services which are normally absent in rural areas.
“These ambitions constitute common push factors promoting an increase in migration of young men and women in most developing countries,’’ she added.
On her part, National Programme Coordinator, FGN/IFAD-VCDP, Dr Fatima Aliyu, informed that the programme aims to increase the income, food and nutrition security of smallholders and producers who cultivated not more than five hectares of either cassava or rice.
Aliyu added that the FGN/IFAD-VCDP programme targets processors who process not more than two metric tons of cassava and mill not more than four metric tons of rice daily and traders on a sustainable basis. Her words: “IFAD-VCDP is implemented by the Nigerian government with funding support by IFAD in nine states of Anambra, Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa, Ogun and Taraba. “IFAD assisted-VCDP of the FMARD Youth Forum holds every year to discuss contemporary issues relating to youths and entrepreneurship development, to showcase the programme’s contribution to government efforts at combating the youth unemployment in Nigeria.” Also, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Dr Mohammad Abubakar, pointed out that a huge population of Nigerian youths was largely unemployed or underemployed, saying this set of people are endowed with resourcefulness and patriotism necessary for national growth and development.
Represented by the Director, Projects Coordinating Unit (PCU), FMARD, Mr Ubandoma Ularamu, the minister noted that the need to harness and develop these potentials to their fullest has been a major policy focus of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration with his ministry playing the major role, being the largest employer of labour both actual and potential. Abubakar said: “The ministry is currently implementing a robust national youth and gender policy aimed at empowering youths and women, developing potentials for growth and contributing to national development.
“Agriculture is a key sector of the Nigerian economy which ensures food security, creates jobs, opens up rural economies, provides raw materials and develops latent resources and potentials. “It has remained a major contributor to the economy from the non-oil sector,” the minister added.
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