Bauchi inaugurates committee to empower 1,250 agribusiness trainees

From Ahmad Muhammad, Bauchi

The Bauchi state government has inaugurated a seven-member committee to screen beneficiaries and supervise the distribution of starter packs and grants to 1,250 trained youths and women under the Innovative and Integrated Agricultural Value Chain and Agribusiness Programme.
The commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr . Ilyasu Aliyu Gital, said the initiative reflects Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed’s commitment to sustainable youth and women empowerment through agriculture.
He explained that the programme builds on the success of an earlier intervention in which 1,000 youths and women received training and starter packs, enabling many of them to establish agribusinesses and become employers of labour.
Gital said , the current phase covers 1,250 beneficiaries who underwent training in 2025 at the International Skill Acquisition Centre (ISAC), CSS Farms, along the Keffi-Abuja Expressway in Nasarawa State recently.
He said: “The programme is designed to consolidate the gains recorded in the first phase and expand agribusiness opportunities across the 20 local government areas of Bauchi State.”
Gital noted that the starter packs and grants would enable beneficiaries to apply the skills acquired during training, establish viable businesses, become self-reliant and create employment opportunities within their communities.
The commissioner said that Governor Bala had approved an enhanced support package in line with prevailing economic realities to ensure beneficiaries derive maximum benefit from the programme while advancing the administration’s goals of inclusive growth, poverty reduction and food security.
He described the intervention as a strategic investment in human capital and rural development, aimed at producing a new generation of modern farmers, processors and agripreneurs capable of driving value addition and innovation in the state’s agricultural value chain.
Gital said the committee was constituted to ensure transparency, accountability and credibility in the disbursement process, adding that payments would be made at the local government level, with beneficiaries receiving their cheques in person.
He said the committee is expected to verify the 1,250 trainees, organise the beneficiaries according to their respective local government areas, oversee the disbursement exercise across the state and submit a comprehensive report within two weeks.
The committee is also mandated to ensure that all beneficiaries appear in person to receive their cheques and may co-opt additional persons where necessary to facilitate its assignment.
The commissioner urged members to discharge their responsibilities with diligence, fairness and professionalism.
“Let transparency be your guiding principle, let prudence govern your decisions, and let the spirit of service to the state guide your actions throughout the exercise,” he said.
He assured the committee of the ministry’s support through logistics, data and monitoring mechanisms, while urging members to work closely with local government authorities, security agencies and community leaders to ensure a smooth and credible exercise.