In a bid to revolutionize the agricultural sector and empower youths, the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase One (ATASP-1) and ABOMAX have organized a youth in Agribusiness incubation program in the Kano/Jigawa zone.
Daily News 24 reports that the opening ceremony of the workshop took place at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Tarauni, Kano State.
The program, funded by the African Development Bank, aims to unlock jobs and promote self-reliant small-scale business models in the agricultural sector.
According to the National Project Coordinator of ATASP-1, represented by Dr. Adekunle Alege, the National Agribusiness Specialist, ATASP-1 Abuja, “The vision is to use this program to unlock jobs for the youths. The strategy is to promote the growth of a self-reliant small-scale business model.”
He emphasized the need to reorient youths to encourage a change of mindset about agriculture, stating, “The age bracket of farmers is between 50 to 70, and they are aging. We want to encourage our youths to go into agriculture.”
The ATASP-1 incubation workshop, which will be held at the Federal College of Agricultural Produce Technology (FCAPT) Kano, has brought together 50 participants from six local government areas in Kano and five in Jigawa.
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The participants, comprising 30 males and 20 females, will undergo intensive training in farming techniques, financial literacy, post-harvest management and handling, development of business plans, food safety, and quality control.
The workshop
Dr. Alege emphasized that the workshop is designed to equip participants with the necessary skills to become entrepreneurs, stating, “At the end of the day, we will link them up with financial institutions, and some state Governors are even trying to set up the few selected ones to encourage others.”
However, he added, “The idea is to incubate them for about two weeks. People from different backgrounds are now integrated at one place, where they will bond with each other.”
The program cuts across three value chains – cassava, rice, and sorghum – and is being implemented in collaboration with partners such as the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), FCAPT, Mafa Integrated Farms Limited, amongst others.
Dr. Alege disclosed that the program aims to create wealth, reduce unemployment, increase food production, and reduce food importation, stating, “The slogan is catch them young, by the time you catch them at this age, I can tell you that within two or three years, food production would have increased, and we will start exporting.”
The workshop covers seven states in the federation, grouped into four zones: Adanni and Omor, Bida and Badeggi, Kano and Jigawa, and Kebbi and Sokoto, and Dr. Alege hinted at plans to usher in ATASP-2 if approved.
