Youth Agripreneurs Archives

Enhancing youth’s willingness to engage in agripreneurship

With about 14% of Nigerian youth experiencing unemployment in 2020, research showed that youth between 15 and 24 years are not only available for employment but are actively seeking various means of employment. The huge youthful population in Nigeria faces high rates of unemployment, underemployment, and poor livelihood. A recent study by IITA–CARE youth researcher…

ENABLE-TAAT trained agripreneurs record their first million in the poultry business

The multifaceted Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) project registered another success story, this time, in Nigeria’s poultry sector. A team of youth agripreneurs trained by the Empowering Novel Agribusiness-led Employment (ENABLE-TAAT) program recorded a gross profit of over ₦1 million—about $2,580—in 8 weeks. They got a return on investment of about 45% after two…

Youth agripreneurs on a field during land preparation

Youth involvement crucial to successful agriculture intervention programs

A study was carried out to evaluate the impact of the N-power Agro program on youth employment and income generation in some parts of rural Nigeria. Adewale Ogunmodede did this research under the IITA-implemented Enhancing Capacity to Apply Research Evidence (CARE) in Policy for Youth Engagement in Agribusiness and Rural Economic Activities in Africa project,…

FAO recognizes IYA’s youth empowerment initiative

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has named the IITA Youth in Agribusiness (IYA) program as one of the 20 Success Stories of Agricultural Innovation from around the world. These were profiled at the first International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers, which took place in Rome, Italy between 21…

Picture of participants undergoing an evaluation exercise during the training

IITA trains ENABLE-Youth Senegal in preparation for implementation phase of project

To learn from the experiences and successes of the IITA Youth Agripreneurs model, 15 beneficiaries of the ENABLE (Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment) Youth Program in Senegal, visited IITA for orientation training on 3–14 September at the IITA-Ibadan campus.

Picture of Sougrynoma Zainatou Sore, Head of IITA Capacity Development Office, giving a presentation on IITA’s activities from inception to date.

Ivorian delegates visit IITA; acquire knowledge for ENABLE Youth implementation

As a sequel to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between IITA and the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to replicate the ENABLE (Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment) Youth program in the country, 10 delegates from the Ivorian government visited IITA Headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria on 27–31 August

Picture of Two COPAKIN agripreneurs showcasing 25-kg bags of high quality semolina.

Youth cooperative sets pace in processing and marketing cornmeal in DRC

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, agribusiness is currently one of the drivers of job creation for young people and for the fight against food insecurity.

Picture of The Côte d’Ivoire Youth minister (second from left) listening to IITA Tanzania Youth representatives explaining aout their livestock feed production process.

Youth Minister from Côte d’Ivoire impressed with IITA Youth Agripreneurs

The Minister for Promotion of Youth, Youth Employment, and Civic Engagement of Côte d’Ivoire, The Hon. Sidi Tiémoko Toure, has remarked that the IITA Youth Agripreneur program in Tanzania is impressive and that he is convinced that agriculture holds great potential for tackling youth unemployment in Africa.

Youth Agripreneurs: Agriculture is a goldmine

For Ibukunoluwa Agbotoba and Zaccheaus Izuwa, agriculture–which used to be seen as a job for the less privileged–is a goldmine that has the capacity to pay their bills and give other youth the opportunity of earning a decent living.

Picture of Victor Manyong speaking during a panel discussion with the keynote speakers.

Youth in agribusinesses: The unexplored potential

The majority of youth in the African continent are moving away from rural to urban areas seeking jobs, even in the informal service sector. Yet, empirical evidence shows that over 60% of African employment is in agriculture where the potential for enhanced productivity and value chain development is high.