Nigeria: FG to empower 30, 000 youths through agriculture programme

The Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced the empowerment of 30, 000 youths through its Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), according to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sonny Echono.

According to a statement, Echono said the Programme  endorsed by the ministry’s Director of Information, Mr. Tony Ohaeri in Abuja would cut across the various value chains, which include rice, maize, tomatoes and others.

Mr. Echono stated that the ministry received about 34,000 applications from intending Nagropreneurs and Market Oriented Producers from 12 participating states including the FCT.

He said that a total of 250 Nagropreneurs would be selected per state including the FCT under the first phase of the programme.

The Permanent Secretary explained that the validation and final selection of the young Nagropreneurs and Market Oriented producers would be done at state levels in collaboration with the ministry’s state Directors.

He said that training would also be conducted for the beneficiaries at different credible Agricultural and Research Institutions, universities and other vocational training institutions across the country.

Mr. Echono listed the participating states to include Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kastina, Lagos, Niger, Ogun and the FCT.

“The beneficiaries would  be trained in different value chains namely: Rice, Aquaculture, Poultry, Maize, Tomato, Wheat, Sorghum, Apiculture, Soya bean, Cassava, Groundnut, Oil Palm, Snailry, Grass cutter  and multiple value chains like welding and fabrication, repair and maintenance,” he said in the statement.