BoA, experts say more youth are needed in the agribusiness

27 August 2024

In commemoration of this year's International Youth Day (IYD), the Youth in Agribusiness unit (IYA) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the African Agricultural Leadership Institute (AALI) hosted a symposium on youth involvement in agriculture and the imperatives of digitizing agricultural practices for sustainable development.

The event, held on August 12 at the institute's headquarters in Ibadan, was attended by hundreds of youths drawn from different fields. The IYD, which had the theme, 'From clicks to progress: Youth digital pathways for sustainable development,' featured a keynote speech, panel discussion, and exhibition from the public and by past beneficiaries of the various projects in the unit.

Speaking at the event, the Coordinator of Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), Dr Chrysantus Akem, applauded the IYA for organizing the event and exposing young people to the various opportunities in agriculture.

He stated, "Over the last few years, the unit celebrated International Youth Day internally, but this year, they invited others to join them, like the African Agricultural Leadership Institute (AALI). I'm particularly pleased that AALI, with headquarters in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a strong presence in Nigeria, was co-opted to join them in the celebration. I'm sure many others would join as time goes by.

"They brought the Bank of Agriculture, the Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture, and business enterprises to join them. The unit has trained many youths who have established their own businesses in different commodities. Much impact is being made as many of them are really doing well, and they always get support from IITA because we keep guiding them and linking them up with any opportunity we see, as mentors would. An event like this makes me conclude that the young have grown."

In her address, the keynote speaker, Yemisi Iranloye, the MD and CEO of Psaltry International Limited, stressed that young people should realize that agriculture has become a venture for forward-looking people who want to earn good income, unlike in the past when it was seen as a venture for poor people.

She said, "Look at what IITA is doing today: creating a platform for young people to be trained in the aspect of agriculture they are interested in. That's a major milestone, making it very easy for young people to earn their livelihoods from agriculture. One of the areas you can make money is using tech; I call it low-hanging fruit because right now in Nigeria, we don't have enough tractors."

Meanwhile, the panel session featured renowned stakeholders in the sector, including the Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Olasunkanmi Olaleye; representative of the Bank of Agriculture, Balogun Ajara; a former bank executive and lead consultant, LA Consult, Ololade Adesola; the MD and CEO of Niji Group, Kolawole Adeniji; and the MD and CEO of Psaltry International Limited, Yemisi Iranloye.

In a consensus, the panelists said the level of youth involvement in agriculture was below par.

Ajara, the branch head of BoA in Ibadan, noted, "We are not satisfied with youth involvement in agriculture. We give loans to farmers, especially the youth, but we have not seen most of our youth in the branch. We see only the older people. I want young people to know that agriculture is the in-thing and many people are going into it. It will pay the young people better than internet fraud."

Also, the commissioner stated, "Youth involvement in agriculture is better nowadays than before, but we are not fully satisfied. I discovered that our youth do not seem to have much interest. I came to that conclusion because of the very few youths who approached us in the ministry for support and those who took advantage of government policies."

The panelists, however, called on the government to incentivize farming to increase youth participation.

"Why would a youth who can work elsewhere choose agriculture when the feeder roads are bad, with no telephone signal or electricity?" Adesola queried. "If we want the youth and our best brains to be in agriculture, we must make agriculture attractive. With that, we won't have to beg them; they would choose the field themselves."

Adeniji also stressed that if the system worked efficiently, many youths would want to do farming. "However, the youth need to start doing many things," he stated. "I was discussing this with one of my key partners, who runs one of the biggest African stores in the United Kingdom, and he explained that common things like vegetables, jute - ewedu, and okra are being shipped from Egypt and other areas. These are simple things that young people can do. You can make frozen vegetables and okra, and the market is ready. You can even use that to develop a new market. The youth can do better. If your product is good, the packaging is good, and affordable, people will be bound to it."

In her submission, Iranloye said there were several opportunities young people could take advantage of, adding, "I think it's better today than ten years ago when the youth were running away. We still need more youth to take over from the old men."

The panelists advised young people to embrace the various digital innovations available in the agricultural space. They added that digitizing their agricultural activities would help reduce overhead and simplify profit and loss tracking. They noted that data collection and analysis would also help them make informed decisions.

They described agribusiness as a rewarding and profitable venture but noted that resilience and hard work were key ingredients for success. They emphasized the need for young farmers to make their passion for agriculture visible if they must attract investors.

By: Babatunde Ajaja

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