Economy
Lagos to Train 15,000 Youths, Women in Agripreneurship
By Adedapo Adesanya
As part of efforts to expand its agricultural value chains, the Lagos State government has introduced the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme (L.A.P.) under its Agriculture-based Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric-Yes). The programme is expected to train 15,000 youths and women in various agricultural capacities by year 2023.
Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Mr Gbolahan Lawal, said the programme was aimed at improving capacity, creating wealth and employment in the agricultural value chains such as poultry, piggery, aquaculture and vegetables. According to him, the scheme will commence with the one-month training of no fewer than 200 participants
“The current reality and exigencies of job creation for the teeming youth population and attainment of food security require that a more aggressive, strategic and efficient approach be employed in the training and empowerment of women and youth if Lagos State is to achieve a significant reduction of unemployment, create more jobs and wealth and also significantly enhance food security in the State by year 2023.
“Hence, the introduction of the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme (L. A.P) under the Agriculture-based Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric-Yes) which aims to train 15,000 women and youths at the training facilities across the State by the year 2023,” he said.
According to Mr Lawal, the training will take place at the Agricultural Training Institute, Araga, Epe, adding that the introduction of L. A. P would efficiently reduce unemployment, create jobs and alleviate poverty in the state; attract and pay more attention to the creation of jobs for women in agribusiness.
He noted that other objectives of the L.A.P were the fact that it would enhance skill acquisition and improve productivity; produce versatile agripreneurs; increase food production substantially to local food demand within the State; facilitate the attainment of food security; and improve the well being of citizens of Lagos State.
Mr Lawal reiterated the significance of the training, stressing that expected impacts of the training include the creation of 2000 Agro-Entrepreneurs who would in turn become job creators; promotion of food security, improved nutrition and general well-being of Lagosians; and the creation of at least 4000 indirect jobs by every 2000 beneficiaries per year through the engagement of support staff such as attendants and artisans, among others.
Others expected impacts, according to the Commissioner include: the enhancement of the economic activities of the surrounding communities; reduction in the overall rate of unemployment; reduction in crime rate within the state; and promotion of the state’s target of producing at least 25 percent of the food consumed by residents the state before the end of year 2025.
Speaking on the implementation strategy for the programme, he explained that the training and empowerment programme would be done in two stages; the first being the training session in various agricultural value chains to attain a more efficient training of a large number of women and youths in a short time, using fewer resources which will be enterprise-specific thereby encouraging the adoption of forward and backward integration of businesses by participants in their subsequent agribusinesses.
Mr Lawal noted that through the empowerment, the establishment of additional enterprise-specific Farm Estates across the state would be promoted as participants would be allocated land space according to the enterprise of interest and location of residence.
He urged interested participants with passion for agriculture, minimum of senior secondary school certificate, satisfactorily physical and health condition to collect the application forms free of charge at Room 9 at the Ministry in Alausa or at any of the State Agricultural Inputs Supply Authority Offices at Ojo or Odogunyan in Ikorodu or the Coconut House in Mowo, Badagry.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Customers of AXA Mansard in the Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (MSME) sector of the economy will enjoy free exhibition stands at the Made by Nigerians Fair.
The fair is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8, 2024, at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos.
To support small business owners, AXA Mansard is paying for stands for selected entrepreneurs to showcase their products at the fair, which attracts thousands of people.
According to the Head of Marketing at AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, Mr Olusesan Ogunyooye, this is another gesture by the company to show that MSMEs can benefit from having insurance.
He described MSMEs as the backbone of any economy, noting that they drive innovation, create jobs, and contribute significantly to national development.
“Our support for these businesses at the MBN Fair reflects the commitment to their growth and sustainability. We are passionate about helping them reach their full potential by connecting them with resources and opportunities that foster success.
“By the very nature of insurance, its benefits are in the future and they are uncertain. That has been a main source of discouragement, particularly to MSMEs. Businesses are geared to making money.
“So, when thinking about insurance, an average MSME would rather invest the money in the growth of his business first.
“The risks that businesses face are also real. There are various types of risks businesses have to contend with today; from burglary to fire, the health of employees, and so on.
“When these risks manifest, they can significantly impact a business negatively. We understand that to get MSMEs to protect themselves and the millions of jobs they create, we must help them strike a balance between growing their businesses and protecting them.
“So, we have come up with different Initiatives to help them grow their businesses. The opportunity to exhibit their products and services to thousands of visitors to the MBN Fair is another in the series of our initiatives.
“We are convinced that for insurance to grow, we need to help people and businesses see it as a strategic lever to grow their businesses, not a cost that takes away from them. If we get this right, it can’t have a massive impact on our economy because, when MSMEs thrive, the economy will prosper.
“We have experimented with this model, and we are particularly excited about the responses from our customers. It is a call for us to do more, and we are committed to Nigerian MSMEs,” Mr Ogunyooye stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange recorded a 0.05 per cent gain on Friday, December 6 after the price of Afriland Properties Plc went up by 60 Kobo to settle for the day at N16.60 per share versus Thursday’s closing price of N16.00 per share.
Consequently, the market capitalisation of the bourse increased during the session by N520 billion to settle at N1.056 trillion, the same value it ended a day earlier, as the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) went up by 1.5 points to wrap the session at 3,014.91 points compared with 3,013.41 points recorded in the previous session.
Business Post reports that yesterday, the price of Acorn Petroleum Plc depreciated at the close of business by 15 Kobo to trade at N1.54 per unit compared with the preceding day’s N1.69 per unit.
The volume of securities traded in the session by investors soared by 168.3 per cent on Friday to 199,577 units from 74,381 units, but the value of securities went down by 45.8 per cent to N1.4 million from the N2.7 million recorded a day earlier, and the number of deals grew by 20 per cent to six deals from the five deals executed in the preceding session.
Geo-Fluids Plc remained the most active stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.7 billion units sold for N3.9 billion, trailed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc with 297.3 million units worth N5.3 million.
Also, Aradel Holdings Plc remained the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 108.7 million units worth N89.2 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc with 297.3 million units sold for N5.3 billion.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited rebounded by 0.10 per cent on Friday as almost all the key sectors closed in green when trading activities ended for the week.
The banking index appreciated by 0.73 per cent, the insurance sector gained 0.55 per cent, the energy counter improved by 0.17 per cent, and the industrial goods space jumped by 0.04 per cent, while the consumer goods sector depreciated by 0.16 per cent.
At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) moved up by 96.64 points to 98,210.75 points from 98,114.11 points and the market capitalisation gained N58 billion to quote at N59.534 trillion compared with Thursday’s closing value of N59.476 trillion.
The bourse finished with 27 price advancers and 21 price decliners, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish sentiment.
Golden Guinea Breweries jumped by 9.98 per cent to N5.40, Japaul improved by 9.30 per cent to N2.35, Sunu Assurances expanded by 9.07 per cent to N5.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance rose by 7.69 per cent to 84 Kobo, and Secure Electronic Technology grew by 7.69 per cent to 70 Kobo.
On the flip side, Eterna lost 4.62 per cent to N22.70, Sterling Holdings depreciated by 4.12 per cent to N4.65, Prestige Assurance fell by 3.85 per cent to 75 Kobo, Consolidated Hallmark shrank by 3.85 per cent to N2.50, and Champion Breweries slumped by 3.50 per cent to N3.86.
Yesterday, investors bought and sold 1.0 billion equities worth N17.5 billion in 7,220 deals, in contrast to the 723.0 million equities valued at N12.8 billion transacted in 8,495 deals a day earlier, indicating a decline in the number of deals by 15.01 per cent and a surge in the trading volume and value by 43.98 per cent and 36.72 per cent, respectively.
On top of the activity chart on Friday was Wema Bank with the sale of 472.5 million stocks valued at N4.1 billion, Fidelity Bank traded 251.5 million shares worth N4.0 billion, FCMB transacted 45.0 million equities for N404.9 million, UBA sold 42.3 million shares valued at N1.4 billion, and Japaul traded 20.7 million stocks worth N46.3 million.
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