Dutch govt, IITA to train 10,000 Nigerian youths in agribusiness

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), is set to train 10,000 Nigerian youths in agribusiness using innovative technologies for sustainable food production.

The Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr Geoffrey van Leeuwen, while addressing the beneficiaries on Monday in Abuja, said the youths are the future of Nigerian agriculture, adding that the kingdom was collaborating with key institutions in the country to promote food security, job creation and wealth through agriculture for Nigerians.

 The Dutch minister, along with the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Nigeria, Mr Wouter Plomp, also toured the Golden Finger Farms and Ranches, which is the agri-hub for YAS in Abuja, and also inaugurated a new training hall for the project.

Youth in Agribusiness (YAS) is a project by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to train youths aged between 18 and 35 in agribusiness.

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The Team Lead, YAS, Ms Aline Mugisho, said the project was being implemented with the support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Golden Finger Farms and Ranches, which is the agri-hub for YAS in Abuja, and Bopinc serve as partners in training the beneficiaries.

Ms Mugisho said the project focuses on the youth because Nigeria is at a very crucial time where unemployment is rising and food security is a key challenge.

“In YAS alone we are training 10,000 youths with expected indirect beneficiaries of 40,000. So at least every young person or every business created we intend to nurture it and to help them generate at least another four jobs.

“We are accelerating their businesses, making sure we link them to direct market systems and also connect them to financial institutions.

“You cannot have food security unless you have a good income for individuals and this individual’s income eventually creates the precedence for us to have a food secure youth and young people are among the most affected,” she said.