According to Ecobank Nigeria Limited, it has partnered with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to train and support 16,000 Nigerian youths on how to build wealth through agriculture.
Young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40, according to a statement from the bank, were the target audience for the program, which would also cover important specialization areas including poultry, aquaculture, horticulture, and value addition.
The training was created for both digital and physical audiences and was divided into parts, according to Ms. Ayo Osolake, the bank’s Head of Public Sector and Agric Business, who announced the cooperation.
She noted, “Ecobank 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.”
According to Osolake, the initiative was created to broaden Nigerians’ access to agricultural prospects, particularly 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 specialisation 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,” she stated.
She stated that the training would provide a chance to gain knowledge of new technologies along the value chain of interest, as well as possibilities for coaching and mentoring, connections to financial resources, exposure to the creation of business plans, and loan applications.
She continued by saying that post-training support would be provided to strengthen start-up identity and market connections.
