The Federal government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to launch the Youth in Agribusiness Land Trust Fund (YALTF), an initiative aimed at expanding opportunities for young Nigerians in agriculture.
The programme will be driven by the Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Youth Development. in partnership with IITA under the IITA YOUTH Agripreneurs prprogramme.
Under the MoU, IITA will repurpose 42 Federal Youth Development Centres across the country into integrated Agribusiness Hubs, providing youth with access to land, training, incubation services, and market linkages.
As the technical and implementing partner, IITA-CGIAR will specifically support agribusiness training and capacity development, enterprise incubation for youth-led businesses, climate-smart agriculture and digital innovation, and market and investment linkages.
The initiative aims to train 6 million young Nigerians in agribusiness skills, incubate 500,000 youth-led agribusiness enterprises, and strengthen national food systems while creating jobs across Nigeria.
A statement by the institute said this collaboration reflects a shared commitment to empowering youth as drivers of agricultural transformation, innovation, and economic growth in Nigeria.
