The Leventis Foundation Nigeria (LFN) has announced that 90 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have undergone agribusiness training and internships across its training schools in Nigeria.
Executive Director of the Foundation, Hope Usieta, disclosed this in Abuja during the 3rd edition of the Agricultural Youths Summit, organized in collaboration with the NYSC.
Usieta explained that 40 corps members have completed the program, while 50 others are currently undergoing agribusiness training in LFN’s schools nationwide.
“I commend the partnership between LFN and NYSC through its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Department (SAED), as it has given us the opportunity to reach more youths,” Usieta said.
“Through the LFN-SAED collaboration, we have trained and mentored corps members in agribusiness and sustainable farming practices across our six training centers in Nigeria.”
He noted that the Leventis Foundation remains a leading organization committed to sustainable agriculture and youth development, providing hands-on training for youths and farmers in various aspects of agribusiness.
Usieta stressed the need for improved access to agricultural financing for smallholder farmers, saying, “Despite multiple interventions, challenges persist in the sector, especially the limited access to agri-finance and the preparedness of smallholder farmers to receive funding.”
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, represented by the Director of Ventures Management, Abe Dankaro, urged Nigerian youths to embrace agribusiness as a path to ending food insecurity and unemployment.
“Nigeria faces the dual challenge of high youth unemployment and food insecurity,” Nafiu said. “Yet, within these challenges lies the opportunity of agribusiness, a sector rich with potential that needs young innovators to transform it.”
He added that the NYSC-Leventis partnership has helped nurture a new generation of “agripreneurs,” young Nigerians equipped not only with farming skills but also with entrepreneurial knowledge to create jobs and boost food production.
Chairman of the Leventis Foundation, Ahmed Manti, also emphasized the importance of agri-financing to help smallholder farmers and youth-led ventures scale their businesses.
“Strengthening investment in agriculture is key to boosting productivity and achieving food security in line with the Sustainable Development Goals,” Manti said. “We believe this summit will continue to strengthen the agricultural ecosystem and drive inclusive economic growth.”
