The Leventis Foundation Nigeria has announced a grant of N2 million for outstanding young agribusiness owners at the forthcoming Agricultural Youth Summit.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Mr. Hope Usieta, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja ahead of the 2025 summit, scheduled to hold on November 6.
The theme for this year’s event is “Building Youth and Agripreneurs’ Resilience for Agribusiness through Targeted Upskilling and Innovative Agri-Finance.”
Usieta said the initiative, organised in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), aims to reward youth agribusiness owners who present the most viable business ideas and pitches during the summit.
He described the programme as a deliberate investment in youth-led agricultural innovation and entrepreneurship.
“The Leventis Foundation has remained steadfast in our mission to train, empower, and mentor young Nigerians to become agripreneurs who can create jobs, boost productivity, and contribute to national food security,” Usieta said.
According to him, the summit will provide a dynamic platform for learning, collaboration, and enterprise development.
“Through this summit, we aim to equip participants with practical skills, business insights, and access to innovative agri-finance tools that can help them start or scale their agribusinesses,” he added.
Usieta noted that the theme was inspired by the challenges faced by young agripreneurs in building sustainable businesses, emphasizing the need for targeted solutions that promote resilience and innovation.
He observed that the global agricultural system is undergoing rapid transformation driven by economic pressures, social change, and climate variability, adding that Nigeria’s youth remain the country’s greatest resource for achieving a sustainable agricultural future.
The Executive Director explained that the summit would bring together young agripreneurs, policymakers, development partners, financiers, and agricultural experts from across the country.
The event, he said, will feature expert-led workshops, panel discussions, stakeholder presentations, and exhibitions of youth-led agribusinesses, all designed to be hands-on and solution-oriented.
Usieta also called for stronger partnerships to expand the impact of the initiative.
“The transformation we seek requires collaboration across the public and private sectors, donor agencies, agribusiness investors, and development institutions to expand the reach and impact of this initiative,” he said.
