Nigeria’s
future millionaires and billionaires will make their money from
agriculture. This assertion was made recently by the country’s
Agriculture Minister, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina while speaking at the first
convocation of Landmark University held on the school’s main campus in
Omu-Aran, Kwara State. Adesina posited that the bulk of these nouveau
riche class will be made up of young persons adept at creating jobs for
millions and bringing hope to rural communities all across the country.
However, the minister said for this to happen, young persons must
begin to find ways to key into the ongoing transformation in the
agricultural sector. “Nigeria faces a rapidly ageing farming population”
he stated, while placing the average age of the Nigerian farmer at 60
years. The minister further enjoined young people to stop seeing
agriculture as a tool for development but as a business. “Presently,
Nigeria is said to be losing N1.2 trillion every year to poorly
developed and inefficient agricultural sector. These inefficiencies
could be eliminated if we have young people who will get into the sector
and change the face of how things are done”.
To this end, Dr Adesina noted that the Federal Government is in the process of rolling out the Youth Employment in Agriculture Program to develop 750,000 young commercial farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs, mostly agricultural graduates, within five years. “They will make our agriculture more productive and competitive”, the Minister pointed out, while enjoining the graduands to prepare to be part of this drive.
According to Dr. Adesina, the nation’s universities must develop programmes that will produce young people “with broad set of skills to drive and manage the agricultural sector”. To this end, the Minister suggested that universities collaborate across faculties and develop new programs sharply focused on producing leaders and managers for the agriculture and agro-allied industries. “Today’s agriculture graduate must be well versed in technical skills, as well as economics, business management, business law, trade and intellectual property rights and only through cross faculty programs can this be achieved,” Adesina affirmed.
He cited various examples of how youths can key into the transformation agenda including the well thought out deployment of technology in the fertilizer distribution scheme of the Federal Government which led to a cut-off of rent seekers who were the main beneficiaries pre-2012 – “all of this was done within 90 days”, he reminded his listeners pointing out that this was a feat unique to Nigeria. In his words, “Nigeria is the first country in Africa, and in the world, to develop the electronic wallet system for reaching farmers with subsidized farm inputs on mobile phones”.
To fit into the change circle, the minister noted, the student needs to study and understand how the agricultural sector works. “Universities need to be well connected to the agribusiness and agro-allied industries to develop innovations and technologies to drive the transformation of the agricultural sector”. “The business sector needs universities to become centers of excellence for technology and business incubation” Dr Adesina further enjoined, while adding that “technology and business incubation centers should be established in universities to help small and medium sized agricultural businesses to thrive.”
The lecture, which was delivered with the Chancellor of the University, Bishop David Oyedepo and other members of the Governing Council of Landmark University in attendance, ended with the Minister encouraging the graduating students to “…invest in agriculture and be part of this great future…”
To this end, Dr Adesina noted that the Federal Government is in the process of rolling out the Youth Employment in Agriculture Program to develop 750,000 young commercial farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs, mostly agricultural graduates, within five years. “They will make our agriculture more productive and competitive”, the Minister pointed out, while enjoining the graduands to prepare to be part of this drive.
According to Dr. Adesina, the nation’s universities must develop programmes that will produce young people “with broad set of skills to drive and manage the agricultural sector”. To this end, the Minister suggested that universities collaborate across faculties and develop new programs sharply focused on producing leaders and managers for the agriculture and agro-allied industries. “Today’s agriculture graduate must be well versed in technical skills, as well as economics, business management, business law, trade and intellectual property rights and only through cross faculty programs can this be achieved,” Adesina affirmed.
He cited various examples of how youths can key into the transformation agenda including the well thought out deployment of technology in the fertilizer distribution scheme of the Federal Government which led to a cut-off of rent seekers who were the main beneficiaries pre-2012 – “all of this was done within 90 days”, he reminded his listeners pointing out that this was a feat unique to Nigeria. In his words, “Nigeria is the first country in Africa, and in the world, to develop the electronic wallet system for reaching farmers with subsidized farm inputs on mobile phones”.
To fit into the change circle, the minister noted, the student needs to study and understand how the agricultural sector works. “Universities need to be well connected to the agribusiness and agro-allied industries to develop innovations and technologies to drive the transformation of the agricultural sector”. “The business sector needs universities to become centers of excellence for technology and business incubation” Dr Adesina further enjoined, while adding that “technology and business incubation centers should be established in universities to help small and medium sized agricultural businesses to thrive.”
The lecture, which was delivered with the Chancellor of the University, Bishop David Oyedepo and other members of the Governing Council of Landmark University in attendance, ended with the Minister encouraging the graduating students to “…invest in agriculture and be part of this great future…”
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