Dede Ekoue, Country Director, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and development partners have announced plans to expand the AgriHub programme to support at least 30,000 rural youths across Nigeria.
The announcement was made on Thursday at a roundtable in Abuja, themed “Creating Rural Youth Employment Opportunities/Support to Agribusiness Hubs in Nigeria.” The programme targets young Nigerians across key agricultural value chains, including rice, cassava, soybeans, tomatoes, groundnuts, and sesame.
IFAD Country Director Dede Ekoue said the pilot phase exceeded expectations, reaching more than 7,000 youth. “Youth employability surpassed 100 per cent of our target, while entrepreneurship support reached 150 per cent,” she said. The scale-up will focus on fragile and conflict-affected areas, including the Niger Delta, Benue, Enugu, and Anambra, and will extend to the North-East and Northwest.
AgriHub Nigeria Project Coordinator at IITA, Adesanya Omotomiwa, added that lessons from the pilot phase would guide job placements and support for youth-led businesses.
Represented by a ministry director, Agriculture Minister Senator Abubakar Kyari said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and underscores the government’s commitment to empowering rural youth and transforming Nigeria’s food systems.
The programme also receives backing from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and the Visa Foundation.
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