The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) with funding from IFAD and others has connected youths and women trained under the Agrihub Project with agripreneurs for employment.
The agrihub job fair themed ‘Empowering youth for sustainable Agri-food careers: Innovation, Skills and Opportunities’ is aimed at bridging the gap between talented young professionals and the agri-food industry by offering access to job opportunities, networking and showcasing innovation that is driving the sector forward.
The IFAD Agrihub Nigeria project implemented by IITA with funding from IFAD, BMZ and the Visa Foundation aims to establish youth-centred Agrihubs across Nigeria that will enhance rural youths on technical and managerial skills to foster sustainable employment.
The Agrihub job portal was launched at the event.
Chrysantus Akem, coordinator of the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme, said youth are at the forefront of what IITA is doing, noting that there is a dedicated unit for young agripreneurs at the research centre.
“This unit is dedicated to training youth, transforming their minds, so that they can see agriculture as a business, while providing them with opportunities.”
“The IITA has exposed youths to diverse opportunities in agriculture to tackle unemployment, and bolster agricultural productivity in Nigeria to grow wealth and combat poverty.”
“We are targeting to train 10,000 youths between the ages of 18 and 35 in viable, sustainable agribusiness.”
Also, Tomiwa Adesanya, project coordinator for Agrihub Nigeria, stated that the aim of the fair was to let employers meet youth employees and said the hub has trained over 4,000 youths in which 2,500 of them have secured employment.
“The forum aimed to provide sustainable employment, promote the exchange of experiences, lessons learned, and best practices in creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for the youth.
Edobong Akpabio, executive director, Greenport Nigeria, a greenhouse horticulture impact cluster said those trained by IITA, and IFAD should look beyond just looking for Jobs but make a career out of it.
Presenting a keynote address with theme: “Creating a career not just taking up roles in Agric sector” Akpabio said “the world is changing, these young people have a whole lot ahead of them, they need to know the opportunity in the agric sector, take advantage of it and build a career out it instead of looking for jobs, there are gaps, they need to fill, look beyond academic life”.
According to her, a career focuses on more than the salary. It is a long-term mission that can provide financial stability, a sense of purpose and personal fulfilment.
“A job is something you do to earn money, while a career is a longer-term plan that involves developing your skills and knowledge in order to progress in your field.”
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