Adeosun urges national rollout of AfDB’s youth agriculture programme

Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance, has advised the Federal Government to sign up for the African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment (ENABLE) youth programme and become the third African country after Cameroon and Sudan to benefit from funds under the AfDB Feed Africa initiative.


The ENABLE youth programme is modelled after the highly successful International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Youth Agripreneur (IYA) programme. By signing up, business opportunities and decent employment along priority agricultural value chains of various enterprises will be created for 1,000 young women and men across the country.

Speaking during a visit to IITA in Ibadan recently, Adeosun said the Federal Government should work on how it can roll out the programme nationally. “We came here - IITA - to assess a project (ENABLE Youth). From what I have seen today, I am extremely impressed and inspired!”

Dr Nteranya Sanginga, Director General of IITA, said the IYA model was a template that would help African countries tackle the challenge of unemployment on the continent and create wealth. “We have tested it in IITA, Nigeria, and several countries and it is working,” he said.

In 2012, Dr Sanginga initiated a youth in agriculture programme to serve as a model for African nations to emulate and prosper. Under the model, young women and men receive training both in theory and practice towards changing mindsets about agriculture. In the end, they are encouraged to key into startups in the agricultural value chain.



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