By Modupe Gbadeyanka
No fewer than 16,000 youths would be trained and supported in wealth creation through agriculture by Ecobank Nigeria Limited in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
The Head of Public Sector and Agribusiness at Ecobank, Ms Ayo Osolake, explained that the programme is targeted at young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 years and would cover key areas of specialization, including poultry, aquaculture, horticulture, and value addition.
She stated the first phase would last four weeks and would be strictly online, while the second phase would be hybrid, entailing practical sessions and farm visits.
“As a Pan-African institution, it is important for us to continue to sow the seeds of growth in the communities where we operate, especially among young people who are the future of our nation and in real economy-impacting sectors like agriculture.
“This is at the heart of our partnership with IITA, where we are combining the full scale of our expertise to empower and equip young Nigerians with the prerequisite knowledge for success in agriculture.
“Our commitment to helping young people create wealth is unwavering, and we are keen on working with similar-minded stakeholders in other sectors to help nurture the dreams of our youths,” Ms Osolake said.
Speaking further, she said, “The program is designed with a view to expanding the frontiers of agricultural opportunities for Nigerians, especially in terms of research, development and wealth creation.
“Now is a great time for anyone considering a future in agriculture to be a part of this training. The structure and areas of specialization have been carefully chosen to boost the capabilities of all attendees.
“The training will also cover both theoretical and practical aspects of everything they need to learn. It is a pleasure to work with a foremost institution like the IITA for this, seeing that we share similar values.”
“This training offers an opportunity to learn new technologies along the focus value chain, build business skills and competencies in agribusiness management, mentoring and coaching opportunities, linkages to finance, exposure to business plan development, and loan application. She stated that there would also be post-training support to improve start-up identity and market linkages.
“The training is open only to Ecobank account holders who are encouraged to register through this link: https://forms.office.com/r/DNQmKRkw55.
“Interested persons who would live to take advantage of the training can easily become Ecobank account holders by downloading the Xpresspoint App and signing up or by visiting any Ecobank branch nearest to them,” she said.
