The Federal Government says it has engaged no fewer than 200 young Nigerians across different clusters to drive innovation and growth in the agriculture sector.
Hauwa Liman, the Technical Assistant to the Vice President on Women, Youth Engagement and Impact, disclosed this at the Arewa Agricultural and Innovation Summit in Kano.
Liman said the initiative aimed to move youth and women empowerment programmes from policy discussions to practical actions that would create sustainable impact.
She said the summit was designed to transform conversations, ideas and aspirations into tangible achievements by providing young Nigerians with the necessary tools, networks and support systems.
“We have had conversations across seven states and three regions in Nigeria. We listened to young Nigerians, documented their concerns, ideas and challenges, and moved beyond conversation to action,” she said.
According to her, the engagement would connect young people to relevant processes, tools and networks to enable them to expand their ideas and develop meaningful solutions.
Liman urged youths to explore opportunities in agriculture, technology and other sectors, saying that agriculture can provide prospects beyond farming.
“From agriculture, you can move into logistics. From agriculture, you can process food. You can create a whole new business,” she said.
She further said that young Nigerians should not only be invited to listen to solutions but should also be given opportunities to present and implement their ideas.
The Vice President’s aide added that the summit created a platform for cultural innovation and technology-driven solutions through competitions and other engagements.
She expressed optimism that the initiative would help position Northern Nigeria and the country as a leading agricultural ecosystem in Africa.
Liman called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to harness opportunities across the agricultural value chain and urged participants to share the knowledge and opportunities gained from the summit with others.
Earlier, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Co-Chairman of the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee, said that youths and women are central to the future development of Nigeria’s agriculture and livestock sectors.
He said the summit was designed to promote dialogue, collaboration, enterprise development and innovation within Northern Nigeria’s agricultural ecosystem.
Jega said the event followed findings from youth engagement programmes, which showed agriculture as a major sector of interest among young Nigerians seeking livelihoods and business opportunities.
He said the five-day event trained emerging agricpreneurs in livestock, poultry, horticulture and fisheries, and that the participants were organised into enterprise clusters for mentorship and market access.
The co-chairman further said that the summit also launched the SHE FARMS Nigeria Project to strengthen women’s participation in sustainable agricultural enterprises.
Jega said agriculture should be transformed from a subsistence activity into a modern and profitable sector capable of creating jobs, improving food security and driving economic growth.
He urged stakeholders to support young agricpreneurs with technology, finance, networks, partnerships and market opportunities.
According to him, the future of agriculture will be built through the active involvement of youths and women.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Haruna Musa, said the university remained committed to supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and youth development through research and collaboration.
He said the institution would continue to provide an enabling environment for young people to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
Musa further said that strong partnerships were required to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical solutions in agriculture, technology and other sectors.
