IITA YOUTH Agripreneurs

𝘼 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙣
“𝘈𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 ( #𝘠𝘪𝘈𝘓𝘛𝘍) 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘣𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘣𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢.” This was the closing charge of our DG, Dr. Simeon Ehui at the national launch in Abuja on Monday.

At the event, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Nigeria and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) reaffirmed a shared commitment to unlocking for young Nigerians through agriculture. Starting with structured access to , which has been a major barrier for many intending over the years, the YiALTF initiative is also designed to link participants with extensive agribusiness training, modern technology, mentorship, , enterprise development, and markets. These would create an enabling ecosystem for agribusiness growth.

Over the next three years, the initiative aims to transform 42 Youth Development Centres nationwide into , train six million young Nigerians, and support the growth of 500,000 agribusiness enterprises.

As a key technical partner, we at IITA YOUTH Agripreneurs (IYA) are proud to contribute our expertise in and agribusiness development to help build a new generation of agripreneurs who will contribute to , job creation, and .

In the coming weeks and months, the modality for and participation will be unveiled. Do stay with us.

Radio IITA

The Youth in Agribusiness Land Trust Fund ( ) Launch is Live!

National Launch of the Land Trust Fund by the Ministry of Youth Development and IITA Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚
Are you a young Nigerian interested in but limited by access to ? There is hope on the horizon.

The Federal Ministry of Youth Development, in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is launching the Youth in Agribusiness Land Trust Fund (YiALTF), which is an initiative aimed at improving the youths' to land for agribusiness.

For years, access to land remains one of the biggest barriers to participation in agriculture. With this initiative, however, young people would be able to access land for and value addition. The YiALTF is designed to provide a platform for the youth to get involved in to improve their and contribute to food security, job creation, and the nation’s .

You are cordially invited to join us for the launch. The event is scheduled as follows:

📅: Monday, June 1, 2026
🕐: 10 am.
🔗: Kindly click to join the event live: www.shorturl.at/CjRrn

See you there!



Radio IITA, IITA TV

𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
As Nigeria commemorates Children’s Day under the theme, “Future Now: Promoting Inclusion for Every Nigerian Child,” we are reminded of the immense , talent, and potential embedded in every child. When nurtured in the right environment with access to care, support, and , these potentials can shape a more prosperous and inclusive society.

The vision of the Start Them Early Program (STEP) strongly aligns with this theme, as we continue to introduce secondary school students to opportunities within the while fostering a safe, supportive, and enabling learning environment for them to thrive.

We are, however, deeply saddened by the continued captivity of the students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. We stand in solidarity with the affected families and the entire , while praying for their safe and swift return.

Happy Children’s Day.

As the world celebrates Eid-el-Kabir, the virtues of sacrifice, faith, gratitude, compassion, love, and obedience, which the season exemplifies, remain central to a united, better and prosperous society. On this beautiful occasion, therefore, we at IITA YOUTH Agripreneurs celebrate with every Muslim faithful.

As this season encourages privileged persons to share with others, particularly those in need, we are reminded of the importance of , whether for and , such that everyone has enough to eat at all times.

To our partners, participants, stakeholders, and colleagues, we wish you abundant blessings, peace, hope, and joy this season and beyond.

Have a blessed Eid celebration!

𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗻
There was great excitement at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) headquarters in Ibadan as young agripreneurs trained by Youth in Sustainable Agriculture - IITA project in the value chains of different agricultural commodities received input support to start or their agribusinesses, courtesy of support from Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria.

First, the vibrant trained in horticultural crop cultivation held their graduation. Through open field cultivation and use of screenhouse, they produced bell peppers, and cucumber, while deepening their understanding of the characteristics and comparative advantages of each production method.

These participants were supported with inputs that would aid their startup, including irrigation drips, fertilizers and hybrid of tomato, cucumber and habanero pepper.

Also, subject to the commodities and preferred by participants, we gave and garri fryers to the youths trained in cassava processing, while those trained in value addition received smoking kiln, table-size catfish, gas cylinders and all the items they would need for the business.

With the training and support, we are confident that these would contribute significantly to , job creation and economic growth in their respective areas.

At IITA YOUTH Agripreneurs, we are equipping with knowledge and resources to be promoters of innovative for sustainable food solutions.

The Youth in Sustainable Agriculture - IITA Project recently held an informative interaction with over 300 yam drawn from the Abaji Area Council of the .

The discussion focused on practices, how to identify quality seeds and ways of accessing modern technologies.

Facilitated by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)'s PROSSIVA, which is a project dedicated to research and delivering to address bottlenecks, the Outreach focused on three main areas:

✳️ Advantages of certified yam seeds and how to source them

✳️ Best practices for yam cultivation and seed management

✳️ Proven techniques for increasing yield & reducing disease risks.

The participants also received certified IITA’s yam seeds ( varieties) to boost their and share with other farmers in their community for wider adoption of the improved seeds.

We believe that when farmers have access to sound knowledge, quality , and they adopt best practices, better results follow. This is the goal of our programs.

Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠
With the strong demand for fresh and growing market for smoked fish , there is something for everyone in the value chain.

At IITA YOUTH Agripreneurs, we advocate increased involvement of young people in agriculture, not as a mere activity, but as a .

Join us!


International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Youth in Sustainable Agriculture - IITA, Radio IITA

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨?

This was one of the many interesting questions posed by students and staff of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo during our agribusiness at the institution recently.

From access to and markets to choosing the right , the conversation highlighted a growing interest among to explore agriculture as a viable business.

Our team engaged the audience, answered their questions and shared practical to help them start and grow successful .

Here are some key takeaways:
✔️ Develop a viable idea and small with your money

✔️ Do your and identify your markets before you start, not the other way round

✔️ Embrace in your chosen field; money without knowledge might end up a waste

✔️ Join credible ; it eases access to loans, and aids collaboration

✔️ For quick returns, consider vegetables, maize, short-cycle commodities and

✔️ Take advantage of to maximize your yield

✔️ Adopt sustainable and practices

✔️ Don’t do as a mere activity, do it like a business that it is

✔️ Don't let to land stop you, start from your backyard or use sacks (as applicable)

Regardless of course of study or profession, agriculture has proven to be a viable pathway for entrepreneurship and economic growth.

At the IITA YOUTH Agripreneurs (IYA), we remain committed to equipping young people with the knowledge and opportunities to thrive in agribusiness.

The future is green, join us!

Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria, Youth in Sustainable Agriculture - IITA

𝘼 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚.

Despite past failures in , Augusta Ezenwa didn’t give up. Instead, she leaned into learning through the I-YouthProject agribusiness training. She gained practical skills in formulation, business management, and enterprise development, and rebuilt her enterprise with stronger confidence.

Today, Augusta runs a thriving agribusiness that has created for seven young people, improves productivity through better systems, and contributes meaningfully to local in Kano State. She has also helped to shift about agriculture from that degrading job to a , profitable pathway for young people.

As we step into April, let this be a reminder: is possible, even after setbacks. What matters is your willingness to , try again, and keep building.

👉 Swipe through Augusta’s story and be inspired to take your next step.