Nigeria targets youth unemployment with agribusiness land fund

Nigeria is targeting youth unemployment with a new agribusiness land trust fund, partnering with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to turn 42 youth development centers into farming hubs.

Speaking at the official launch of the initiative on Monday in Abuja, Ayodele Olawande, Minister of Youth Development, said the initiative will expand land access and boost productivity, addressing joblessness that affects more than 40 percent of young Nigerians.

Olawande announced ambitious targets under the programme, training and empowering six million young Nigerians in agribusiness over the next three years, supporting the creation and formalisation of at least 500,000 youth-led agribusiness enterprises, and linking young entrepreneurs to both local and international markets.

“Nigeria’s success in agriculture is linked to access to finance, land, technical training, modern technology, mechanisation, climate-smart solutions, value chain integration, and reliable markets,” he said.

The minister identified limited access to land as the biggest barrier preventing young Nigerians from venturing into agriculture, despite the sector’s huge potential.

“Despite these opportunities, one major obstacle continues to stand in the way of many aspiring young people in agriculture, which is access to land.

“For countless young Nigerians, the inability to secure productive land remains the biggest barrier to entering and succeeding in agriculture,” Olawande stated.

He emphasised that modern agriculture goes beyond traditional farming, noting it now offers opportunities in technology, innovation, processing, exporting, and service provision across the entire value chain.

Atiku Bagudu, minister of Budget and Economic Planning, said improving land management and mobilising youths into agribusiness would significantly increase Nigeria’s agricultural output and exports.

Bagudu cited the Netherlands, a country smaller than some Nigerian states, with 41,000 square kilometres, as a model. Despite its limited land size and population of over 20 million, the Netherlands exports agricultural produce worth about 130 million euros, largely driven by agribusiness.

“There is no part of this country that cannot compete with the Netherlands,” Bagudu said.

He also referenced Bangladesh’s success in achieving high agricultural productivity despite land constraints, stressing that Nigeria, with far greater land resources, has underperformed relative to its potential.

Simeon Ehui, director general of IITA, said the Agribusiness Land Trust Fund would serve as a critical intervention that would address one of the most significant barriers to young people’s access to land.

Ehui explained that the fund would mobilise land linked to the Ministry of Youth Development’s programmes through a dedicated trust mechanism to support youth-led agribusiness ventures.

The initiative is expected to harness Nigeria’s youthful population, where 60 percent are under 30 years of age, by turning them into active participants and entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector.