The Director-General, International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, has called on
governments to make use of the potential in agriculture to create wealth
and jobs.
In an address delivered to stakeholders
at the Oyo State Economic Summit, Sanginga said there were opportunities
for the youth to start small businesses in seed production, input
supply, weed control and processing, among others.
Represented Deputy Director-General f
or
Partnerships and Capacity Development, Dr. Kenton Dashiell, the IITA
boss further explained that the youth could also be farmers and use
modern methods that reduce the labour required, raise yields and
increase income.
Citing the example of the IITA Youth Agripreneurs model, Sanginga said there was the need to change the mindset of the youth.
He explained that the Youth Agripreneurs
project, the first of its kind in the CGIAR, engaged young people from
various educational disciplines through mentoring and training to
transform them into agripreneurs, adding that making agriculture a
business was at the core of the programme.
“This project has so far been successful and we need to scale up,” he said.
The summit attracted industrialists,
including the Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Oba Otudeko;
Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group and Executive Chairman, Philips
Consulting, Mr. Foluso Philips; and Director-General, Standards
Organisation of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Odumodu.
The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi,
in his welcome address, said the state was ready to offer incentives and
partnership to investors willing to explore opportunities in the
agricultural and industrial sectors.
He commended the partnership the state
was enjoying with IITA, noting that plans were underway to train young
people in agriculture.
The governor solicited more synergies from other foreign bodies in the human and capital development of the state.
Using data from the private and public
sectors, the governor spoke about several opportunities that abounded in
various sectors and the efforts his administration had undertaken to
make Oyo State an investment destination of choice.
