USAID train 80 women, youths on agriculture

The USAID through one of its programmes Africa Lead and other partners have trained 80 Nigerian women and youths in the areas of management and agriculture to help accelerate agriculture development in Africa.

The five day leadership short course is expected to inspire, energize and mobilize innovative leaders, champions, and thinkers who are committed to creative new approachs to achieving food security in Africa.

According to the Regional Director of Africa Lead, Carla Denizard, “Our former President Barack Obama has a vision to develop and empower leaders on the African Continent to ensure food security and promote agricultural production.

“In Nigeria, this is the first time we are kicking the Champion for Change training, we have trained today about 80 women and youths in the principles of change management on the cadre of the comprehensive african development programme on strategic leadership, planning, monitoring and evaluation and how to bring about food security and change in their communities”.

Africa Lead programme is aimed at capacity building programme, while continuing to provide targeted assistance to support and advance Africa led agricultural transformation as proposed by the African Union Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP).

Serving as USAID’s primary capacity building programme in the Sub Saharan Africa, Africa Lead works to help realize Feed The Future (FTF) goals of reduced hunger and poverty by building the capacity of African agriculture professionals, institutions and stakeholders to develop, lead and manage the structures needed to the transformation process.

It is also expected that the youths and women trained by the USAID will also carry out further training of women and youths in the grassroots.

The Bank of Industry which is also one of the partners expressed readiness to assist the the trainees access funds to start up businesses especially in the agricultural sector.