DG receives prestigious award for championing youth in agriculture programs
The Association of Deans of Agriculture in Nigeria Universities (ADAN) has honored IITA Director General Dr Nteranya Sanginga with an Award of Excellence for successfully pioneering the IITA Youth in Agribusiness program. The award was presented during the 64th annual general meeting of ADAN held recently in Nasarawa State, north-central Nigeria.
“We are proud of the impact of the work that IITA has been doing, particularly among the youth, and it is worthy of recognition,” said the Chair of the Local Organizing Committee of ADAN, Prof. Olumuyiwa James Jayeoba.
Initially, the IITA youth program started with less than 50 youth on IITA Campus in Ibadan, Nigeria. It has blossomed, with hundreds of young people across Africa benefiting from the program. Many of the program’s beneficiaries now manage their farms, while others have chosen other vocations within the agriculture space.
“ADAN intends to emulate the IITA Youth program and replicate the model across Nigerian universities,” Prof. Jayeoba disclosed.
Receiving the award on behalf of DG Sanginga, the Director of the Development and Delivery Office of IITA, Alfred Dixon, said the recognition encouraged IITA and the DG to do more for the growth of youth in Africa. “The youth program in IITA has demonstrated that the rising youth population is a huge capital that we need to harness for wealth creation and the prosperity of Africa,” Dixon added.
