A political economy analysis conducted by ActionAid Nigeria has revealed that Nigeria may be losing N60 trillion yearly from the lack of deliberate support for youths in the agriculture sector.

The Food and Agriculture Programme Officer for ActionAid Nigeria, Mr Azubike Nwokoye, gave the assertion in Abuja while presenting a paper on the Nigeria Youths in Agrictech Innovation Programme (NYAIP) at a National Young People Dialogue on Inclusive Food System, organised in partnership with the Senate Committee on Agriculture and supported by the German International Cooperation (GIZ).

Azubike explained that if about 40 million unemployed young people in the country are supported in the agriculture sector, it means the creation of about 40 million new agricultural jobs and if each youth contributes about $1,000 to Nigeria’s economy per year, it will amount to $40 billion yearly, when converted to about N60 trillion at the rate of $1,500 to a dollar.

He said that even if only five million youths are empowered to engage in agriculture in Nigeria, the financial value added to the economy through the AFCFTA agreement could potentially range between $10 billion and $20 billion yearly, with exact value.

He said that was why ActionAid Nigeria, with the support of their partners, have covered the National Young People’s dialogue, consisting of young people in the Agriculture sector across the 36 states of the federation, to push for support for the Nigerian youths in the Agrictech and Innovation Programme.

MEANWHILE, Imo State farmers, cooperatives and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector have been impacted by modern technological skills to enhance their output as well as enable them to combat the effects of climate change on food production.

This was the outcome of a one-day Digital Financial Solutions training for farmers and cooperatives, organised by the European Union (EU) and funded by DIGISOL PROJECT, held over the weekend at the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (UAES), Umuagwo, Imo State.

According to the organisers, the training was designed to equip farmers in three states of Imo, Ogun and Kwara with improved digital skills and awareness on better ways of advancing agricultural practices as a critical sector of the nation’s economy.

UAES, among other partner institutions, including Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara State, and the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, participated in the training.

Declaring the workshop open, the Project Manager and the Vice-Chancellor of UAES, Prof. Christopher Eze, noted that the training was to build on the previous efforts of the DIGISOL PROJECT towards securing more impact-driven farming activities that benefit the players and the nation.