IITA Empowers Youths in Oyo State for Food Security

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) conducted a training program for 50 youths in Oyo State, focusing on food security and agricultural business skills. The training, held at IITA's headquarters in Ibadan, was part of the Youth Agribusiness Project sponsored by the Kingdom of Netherlands.

Adebayo Awotodunbo, the project coordinator, stated that the program was designed to equip participants with technical and business skills to support agricultural input and establish sustainable agribusinesses. The initiative selected 31 beneficiaries for input support based on their performance during a business incubation program.

Instead of cash support, the program provided input support to ensure that beneficiaries could properly invest in their agribusinesses. Moham Salasi, the program director at Hortinigeria, emphasized the importance of addressing youth unemployment in the horticultural sector and expressed pride in the young participants' ability to harvest horticultural crops and generate income.