…As govt secures 1,816 hectares for agriculture initiative
The Oyo State Government, in partnership with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), has launched a €2.4 million agricultural project targeting about 700 youth and returnee migrants in the South West.
It is as part of efforts to tackle unemployment and curb irregular migration.
The Youth Empowerment and Reintegration Project (YERP), funded by the Danish Government, targets people aged 18 to 35, particularly youth in rural communities and migrants returning to Nigeria.
The project is expected to provide beneficiaries with agricultural training, farmland, cooperative development, market opportunities and livelihood support, while promoting climate-smart and sustainable agriculture.
Speaking at the signing of the project agreement in Ibadan, Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, said the initiative would tackle rural youth unemployment, support the sustainable reintegration of returnee migrants and promote rural economic development.
He stated that the state had secured 1,766 hectares of unencumbered farmland in Ilero, Kajola Local Government Area, and another 50 hectares at the Rural Community Development Centre in Aawe, Afijio Local Government Area, for the project.
He said the government would provide support in land access, security, agricultural training, mechanisation, market linkages and other areas necessary for beneficiaries to establish sustainable livelihoods.
According to him, YERP would also promote sustainable land management and strengthen the state’s food security efforts.
The commissioner said the initiative was coming on the heels of existing programmes of the Governor Seyi Makinde administration designed to make agriculture attractive to youth as a viable business and career.
He listed youth training, agribusiness development, climate-smart agriculture, mechanisation, digital soil testing, extension services and market-oriented interventions among the state’s ongoing initiatives.
Olaleye said YERP would also generate evidence capable of informing future policies on youth employment and migration management.
He said: “YERP is therefore coming into an environment where a foundation for youth participation in agriculture already exists. What the partnership with ICMPD brings is an additional opportunity to extend these efforts to more rural young people and returnee migrants.”
He urged youth to explore opportunities across the agricultural value chain, including production, processing, logistics, mechanisation, digital agriculture and marketing.
The ICMPD Portfolio Manager for the Pan-Africa Region, Marcello Giordani, described Nigeria as the organisation’s biggest and most important partner in Africa.
He said YERP stood out among ICMPD’s projects in Nigeria because of its potential to create sustainable opportunities for young people through agriculture.
“With new technology and the right conditions to enable them to build their future and earn a living through agriculture, I believe this project could be of great help,” he said.
He commended the Oyo State Government for its commitment to the partnership, saying the signing demonstrated the state’s ownership of the project.
The signing was attended by officials of the Oyo State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, including the Permanent Secretary, Abosede Owoeye, and representatives of ICMPD.