Economy
Agriculture Economic Empowerment Tool—Youths
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The agro-allied industrialization of the African continent cannot materialize without the involvement of the youths because they have the right drive and energy, participants at a Tuesday session of the 2016 African Economic Conference that focused on youth entrepreneurship in agriculture said.
“I say and I hope you join me to say that agribusiness is not the future. It is the now,” said Oyin Asaaju, a young Nigerian who is excited about agribusiness.
Indeed, participants in the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) youth agripreneurs scheme have affirmed agriculture as an economic empowerment tool.
They exhibited some of their products, most of which were made from cassava, a staple crop, at the session to the delight of participants and visitors. They further voiced their views at two different debate sessions where they shared their views on “Agriculture: A sector of economic opportunities for African youths.”
“Agri-business is not the future. It is the now,” said Assaju, who explained how the IITA agriculture apprenticeship scheme, ENABLE (Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment) Youth, had changed her perception about agriculture, describing the sector as a viable earner.
Two years ago, Asaaju kept late nights serving drinks at a bar. Now her late nights are about thought-provoking assignments that must result in food solutions.
“I would like to thank the African Development Bank for the support. Like many other youths, when I graduated from the university, I couldn’t find an idle job, so I took on the job of a waitress. I was learning some skills. More than anything else, I wanted to engage in something more challenging. The job wasn’t giving me that. I learnt about the youth agripreneur programme when I had to serve food and drinks to a group of young people at a party at IITA. I have had the opportunity of joining the group. These young people happen to be the notable IITA youth agripreneurs that you see in the hall today, who today are my colleagues,” she said to the rousing applause from participants.
So far Assaju and her team have been trained in value addition, business development and soft skills. She is now able to convert farm produce into finished products, and has had the opportunity of representing the group at two international conferences, in South Africa and the United States.
“These have helped build my capacity professionally. In February this year, I was transferred with some colleagues to the IITA station in Onne, Rivers State. Rivers is an oil-producing state, but we have taken agri-business there – not to compete, but because we must go back to the basics. In a space of 10 months, we have been able to establish demonstration plots in cassava, rice and plantain. We are into the production of catfish and plantain suckers. So far we have been able to involve 40 rural youths in our activities,” she noted.
She said her team is currently unable to meet its market demands for cassava and catfish, which she considers a good platform for investment.
She declared: “We, the youths, have decided to lead this agri-business movement, not only to create job opportunities, but also to restore the strength of Nigeria as the giant of Africa and to have Africa be the bread basket of the world.”
Just like Assaju, other youths in the agri-business apprenticeship scheme – Mercy Wakawa and Zacchaeus Isuwa – were emphatic in their testimonies.
Youth engagement in agri-business through the IITA has shown that the generation does have a role to play in changing the face of farming in Africa, they said.
The annual African Economic Conference is organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission of Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
ENABLE Youth is a programme for young African people (18-35 years old) wanting to start a business in the agricultural sector, borne out of the African Development Bank’s Dakar High Level Conference on Agricultural Transformation in Africa and with the support of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, which is headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria. The programme works to promote, enhance, and modernize agricultural entrepreneurship in Africa. In order to do this, the African Development Bank offers its support in capacity strengthening, promoting professionals working in agriculture, and financing projects of young people in the sector.
ENABLE Youth is working to help launch 300,000 agribusinesses and create 8 million jobs in some 30 African countries over the next five years. Above all, it is counting on young people to develop Africa’s agricultural future, an African agriculture that relies on innovation, technologies, and modernization of techniques and practices, as well as on the development of the value chain in the sector.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Brent futures climbed $1.06 or 1.3 per cent to $83.55 a barrel on Friday amid ongoing uncertainty about the negotiations in progress that determine control of and reopening of the key shipping artery of the Strait of Hormuz.
In the same vein, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures finished at $78.18 a barrel after it chalked up 89 cents or 1.15 per cent.
Iran is reviewing a bill to ban American and Israeli vessels from the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passed before the war began at the end of February.
Market analysts noted that while this week’s signals on a potential deal have sent a roller-coaster ride in market sentiment, the market remains in the dark as to what needs to happen for the agreement to be clinched.
Part of the question being asked is whether the Iran-Oman agreement would allow a US-flagged vessel to transit the Strait of Hormuz or allow a vessel headed for an American port to go through.
Shipping through Hormuz remains heavily constrained as Middle East oil production is still well below pre-war levels while attacks on commercial vessels have continued even as negotiators discuss possible arrangements for the waterway.
Some also said that this week’s developments have signalled that hostilities between Iran and the US are not yet over. This is because the proposed deal is not easily workable because of sanctions and restrictive insurance clauses on any payments by the US government.
Iran is seeking fees of between 5 per cent and 7 per cent of the price of cargoes from ships using the strait, while Oman is discussing fees of about 3 per cent, while the Donald Trump administration wants no fees at all.
Citi has raised its third-quarter Brent crude forecast to $80 per barrel from $75 as the war drags on and repeated attempts at a deal fail to restore normal oil flows through the strait.
The bank still expects the conflict to be resolved, but the five-month war has lasted longer than Citi anticipated and kept more geopolitical risk in crude prices. Citi left its fourth-quarter Brent forecast unchanged at $70 per barrel and still sees the benchmark averaging $65 in 2027.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerian businessman and chief executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Mr Aliko Dangote, has unveiled plans for a new phase of investments and acquisitions as the conglomerate pushes towards its target of generating $100 billion in annual revenue by 2030.
Mr Dangote disclosed this while receiving a delegation of senior executives from global investment banking and financial services firm Goldman Sachs, led by co-chief executive of Goldman Sachs International and Global Co-Head of Investment Banking, Mr Anthony Gutman, during a tour of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals and Dangote Fertiliser Limited complex in Lagos.
Speaking after the visit, Mr Dangote said the refinery and associated industrial facilities underscore the transformative impact of long-term investment in Africa, stressing that the group’s ambitions extend beyond its current strategic plan.
“No matter how we try to explain what we have built, you cannot fully appreciate it until you see it. But this is only the beginning. We need to look beyond 2030.
“The next phase of our journey will include new investments and acquisitions as we continue to scale the business,” he said.
He added that detailed internal modelling had reinforced management’s confidence that the Group’s target of generating $100 billion in annual revenue by 2030 was achievable.
According to him, the projections were based on conservative assumptions and had strengthened the company’s conviction to pursue an even more ambitious long-term growth strategy.
Mr Dangote also revealed that the strong participation of employees in the refinery’s recent private placement reflected growing internal confidence in the company’s long-term strategy and future prospects.
The Goldman Sachs delegation, after an extensive tour of the 700,000 barrels-per-day refinery, described the project as an extraordinary achievement.
“It is extraordinary what Mr Dangote and the whole organisation have achieved. The ambition, the scale of the project, the quality of the project and the culture of the people is very impressive,” the executives said.
According to a statement issued by Dangote Group on Friday, the delegation was led by Mr Anthony Gutman and included Mr Adib N. Zouein, Co-Head of EMEA Emerging Markets Regional Sales and Head of the Middle East and North Africa region for Global Banking & Markets Public; Mr Ryad Yousuf, Global Head of FICC Sales Strats and Structuring; and Mr Jimi Adesanya, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa Sales (excluding South Africa).
The visitors were received by Dangote; Group Vice President, Oil & Gas, Mr Devakumar Edwin; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals, Mr David Bird; Group Executive Director, Oil & Gas, Ms Fatima Aliko Dangote; Chief of Staff to the President/CEO, Ibrahim Dikko; Group Chief Branding and Communication Officer, Mr Anthony Chiejina; Group Chief Economist, Mr Hassan Mahmud; Group Chief Strategy Officer, Mr Aliyu Suleiman; and Head of Administration, Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals, Mr Musa Bala, among other senior executives.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate Public Accounts Committee has heard that Nigeria spent N1.16 trillion on fuel subsidy in 2021, while N1.20 trillion was deducted from federation crude oil sales proceeds during the same period.
The disclosure came from the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mr Mohammed Bello Shehu, during the committee’s ongoing investigation into the 2021 to 2023 Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) audit reports on the oil and gas sector.
According to the commission, crude and petroleum product losses cost N16.2 billion, pipeline repairs accounted for N22.05 billion, while strategic stock holding attracted N6.75 billion.
The revelations come against the backdrop of Nigeria’s long-running fuel subsidy regime, which successive governments maintained to keep the pump price of petrol artificially low despite mounting fiscal pressures.
Over the years, subsidy payments consumed trillions of Naira, significantly reducing revenues available to the three tiers of government and contributing to widening budget deficits.
The issue reached a turning point in May 2023 when President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy during his inauguration speech, declaring that “fuel subsidy is gone.” The decision followed years of concerns over the rising cost of the programme, allegations of fraud, and repeated recommendations by fiscal authorities and international financial institutions that the subsidy had become unsustainable.
The removal triggered a sharp increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), leading to higher transportation and living costs across the country. In response, the federal government introduced a series of palliative measures, including cash transfers, support for mass transit, and wage-related interventions, while arguing that savings from the subsidy would be redirected to infrastructure, education, healthcare, and other critical sectors of the economy.
The commission also argued that the current method of calculating the 13 per cent derivation fund undermines the constitutional intention of the policy.
Meanwhile, the committee stood down the Niger Delta Development Commission’s presentation until next Wednesday to allow lawmakers review its submission.
The committee also expressed displeasure over the absence of the Auditor-General of the Federation, warning that he must appear before lawmakers next Tuesday or face compulsory appearance through the constitutional powers of the National Assembly.
