The federal government says it is scaling up youth agripreneurship in Nigeria to transform the country’s food systems.

Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, stated this on Tuesday at a youth Agripreneurs workshop for food systems transformation in Nigeria in Abuja.

The workshop, themed “Scaling Youth Agripreneurship for Food Systems Transformation,” was organised by the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise-Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project.

The minister said the youth are taking the lead in agrifood innovation, from precision agriculture to AI-powered farm tools and soilless farming.

“Our young people, fuelled by ingenuity and determination, are taking the lead in agrifood innovation, from precision agriculture to AI-powered farm tools, soilless farming, financing and payment platforms, digital marketplaces, and agro-processing.

“They are leading with innovation and a shared commitment to sustainable development and are ready to transform agrifood systems, create dignified livelihoods, and drive inclusive economic growth in our dear nation, Nigeria,” he said.

He said that, despite these advances, youth participation remained inconsistent.

According to him, too many young people faced obstacles and challenges, including limited access to finance, land, processing facilities, and markets.

“Today, we come together with one huge focus to change the narrative. This event marks a clear commitment to scale up youth agripreneurship across our country and region.

”Our goals are concrete: to unlock land and productive resources for young farmers, while ensuring secure tenure and responsible stewardship of the land,” he said.

Mr Kyari said President Bola Tinubu had repositioned agriculture as a primary driver of economic transformation, anchoring it as a central pillar of Nigeria’s national development agenda.

He explained that the government had piloted youth-led agripreneurship models, expanded agro-processing and agribusiness incubation, and leveraged digital tools to connect farmers to markets and finance.

The minister called on stakeholders to build ecosystems where collaboration eclipses competition and where every young agripreneur has a fair chance to contribute to national prosperity.

Earlier, Marcus Ogunbiyi, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said the event aligned with the federal government’s strategic goal of repositioning agriculture as a viable, wealth-creating, and competitive sector.

He said the workshop symbolised the federal government’s renewed commitment to harness the energy, innovation, and entrepreneurial drive of youth to transform agriculture from subsistence to a thriving enterprise.

“This transformation is central to strengthening food security, expanding rural livelihoods, and enabling inclusive national development,” he said.

In a goodwill message, Dede Ekoue, the country director of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), reiterated IFAD’s commitment to scaling up youth agripreneurship programmes in Nigeria.

In a presentation, Abiodun Sanni, national project coordinator, LIFE-ND Project, said the project had trained and empowered over 29,620 youths and women as agripreneurs across priority value chains.

He said the value chains included cassava, rice, oil palm, aquaculture, poultry, and horticulture.

Mr Sanni said the project also supported viable agribusiness ventures by providing access to start-up capital, production inputs, and agro-processing platforms, among others.

(NAN)