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 Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria’s integrated agro-industrial company, Ellah Lakes Plc, significantly improved its revenue in the first quarter of 2026 to N359.49 million from N19.61 million in the same period of 2025.
The revenue growth was driven by initial harvests and sales of Crude Palm Oil (CPO), reflecting stronger commercial activity and improved pace of revenue generation as operations continue to scale.
The improved sales activity was supported by growing commercial output from its operating platform and continued focus on disciplined execution.
It was observed that while the gross profit rose to N285.35 million from N19.61 million, the operating loss moderated to N273.42 million from the N514.12 million recorded in the first quarter of last year.
“The first quarter represents another important step in Ellah Lakes’ transition into commercial execution. The stronger revenue momentum recorded during the period was supported by improved production stability, better operational uptime and more disciplined sales execution.
“Importantly, we also narrowed our operating loss year-on-year, reflecting the benefit of higher gross profit and continued cost discipline. These results provide an encouraging early indication that the business is gaining operating momentum,” the chief executive of Ellah Lakes, Mr Chuka Mordi, said.
Ellah Lakes continued to focus on scaling output, improving efficiency, and converting its agricultural asset base into stronger commercial performance.
The quarter’s results show early evidence of this transition, with revenue increasing significantly year-on-year and operating loss narrowing compared with the prior-year quarter.
“Our CPO mill is now operational, piggery operations continue to scale, and we are advancing the next stage of our processing roadmap through the planned installation of a 40 tonnes-per-day Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) mill in Q2 2026.
“In parallel, we are strengthening our operating systems and exploring technical partnerships to improve asset utilisation and execution as the business scales.
“Our focus remains on disciplined execution, prudent capital stewardship and long-term value creation for shareholders,” Mr Mordi stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Businesses operating in Nigeria can now register easily as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) introduces a direct payment option on its portal.
A statement posted on the commission’s handle on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday noted that the move is aimed at streamlining registration services as well as optimising the portal for efficiency.
“The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) wishes to notify its esteemed customers that payments for the following filings can now be conveniently made directly on our portal via ReVOps on the Intelligent Company Registration Portal (iCRP),” it announced.
The Revenue Optimisation and Assurance Project (REV-OP) was launched last year to strengthen public financial management.
The initiative focuses on blocking revenue leakages and improving transparency across government agencies.
It is built on three pillars: transparency, efficiency, and digital transformation.
The new payment systems allow users to pay for services through ReVOps on its Intelligent Company Registration Portal (iCRP).
Before now, the previous payment structure relied on the Remita gateway, which supported debit cards, bank transfers, and branch payments.
According to the Commission, the initiative is part of efforts to improve service delivery and streamline its processes for users.
The CAC listed services now eligible for direct payment include Annual Returns Filing, Change of Business Address, Cessation of Business, Change of Name, and Change of Objects.
It added that other services, such as Change of Proprietor or Partner details, are Certified True.
The move aligns with the federal government’s broader push to digitise public finance and improve revenue collection through technology.
REV-OP enables real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making, marking a shift toward a more technology-driven approach to government revenue systems.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerians paid more to buy staple foods, including eggs, beans, and garri, in March 2026 compared with what they paid in the preceding month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The agency, in its Selected Food Prices Watch report for March 2026, released on Wednesday, said that the average price of eggs (a crate of 30 pieces) on a month-on-month basis went up by 2.00 per cent from N6,007.35 in February 2026.
However, the price of the proteinous meal decreased by 20.12 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N7,670.56 recorded in March 2025 to N6,127.63 in March 2026.
Similarly, the report said that the average price of 1kg of brown beans decreased by 49.39 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N2,616.26 in March 2025 to N1,325.85 in March 2026, but on a month-on-month basis, the price increased by 1.41 per cent from the N1,307.44 recorded in February 2026. It also showed the average price of 1kg of white garri decreased by 41.19 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N1,362.96 in March 2025 to N801.4 in March 2026, and on a month-on-month basis, it rose by 1.38 per cent from the N790.62 recorded in February 2026.
The report said that the average price of 1kg of onion decreased by 19.63 per cent from N1,434.85 recorded in March 2025 to N1,153.14 in March 2026. On a month-on-month basis, 1kg of onions increased by 1,59 per cent in March from the N1,135.12 recorded in February 2026.
The report said the average price of 1kg of fresh ginger increased by 20.46 per cent from the N4,600.23 recorded in March 2025 to N5,541.25 in March 2026. On a month-on-month basis, 1kg of ginger increased by 0.61 per cent in March from the N5,507.43 recorded in February 2026.
However, it said the average price of one litre of palm oil decreased by 4.71 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N2,511.77 recorded in March 2025 to N2,393.38 in March 2026.
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