By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Dr Akinwunmi Adesina has hinted that the bank has provided $280 million to support youths to go into Agriculture in Nigeria.
Dr Adesina dropped this hint in Ibadan while speaking at a two day programme “African Youth Agripreneurs (AYA) Forum held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) with over 200 youths in Africa who are active in agribusiness or the agriculture sector or related value chains participating.
Speaking through a director in the bank, Chiji Ojukwu, the AfDB President said the fund was released to government last year December and that four other African countries namely Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan,Cameron and Zambia were also given the financial assistance to enable their youths embrace agriculture
Dr Adesina added that twelve other countries are on the line to get the assistance from the regional bank this year and that 33 countries in Africa is being targeted to benefit from the financial support.
He revealed that 37,000 youths between the ages of 18 and 35 who are graduates are being targeted in Nigeria and that $50,000 will be given to them to execute their agricultural programmes.
Emphasizing that 10,000 youths are being targeted in the four other African countries that had already gotten the financial assistance,ha said this 10,000 youths being targeted included the 37,000 youths in Nigeria are expected to create employment and this will reduce the unemployment rate being witnessed now in most African countries
Disclosing that 1.5 million youths and old are being targeted to be in Agricultural business in the whole of Africa in the next few years, Dr Adesina stated that IITA is already providing technical support for the youths so as to embrace agriculture while the regional bank as well as some other financial institutions will provide and support the youths who are going into agriculture .
He pointed out that the business approach to agriculture which the AfDB is committed to will help improve productivity, competitiveness and entrepreneurship among Africa’s youth.
