In a bid to address the issue of unemployment in Nigeria, the National Agricultural Mechanization Cooperative Of Nigeria, NAMCON is set to establish agro extension service centers in 528 local government areas across the 36 states of the federation.
The establishment of these centers is aimed at providing jobs for unemployed 15 youths per local government area. These youths will be employed as technical staff, agro extension service staff, and operators.
NAMCON has prioritized five key intervention areas in the agricultural sector, which are, Nigeria mechanism Agro-extension service scheme, women nurturing birds for wealth empowerment program, strategic skill acquisition program and farmers house, mass housing project for farmers, and Nigeria Agro space market.
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Sources disclosed that the training has already commenced in Kaduna state. About 2,300 people resident across the 34 local government areas in the states are said to be currently undergoing training.
NAMCON disclosed that it aims to train and empower the beneficiaries in poultry farming, which is mostly made up of youths and women. This program, set up by NAMCO, will no doubt assist the government in the creation of jobs and also help to alleviate poverty in the country.
Looking at the crisis of food shortages that a large number of African countries are faced with, majorly due to the Russian-Ukraine war, such training programs will come in handy, because the input of those registered on the program will help to curb food insecurity across the country and possibly lead to the exportation of food products, which will boost Nigeria’s economic revenue.
NAMCON disclosed that it has a target to empower 15 million people in Nigeria in mechanized farming. This is commendable, because looking at the Agricultural sector in Nigeria, it is one sector that has remained untapped.
There are so many hidden potentials in the agricultural sector yet to be explored. With this program, such underlying potentials will be maximized which will see the inclusion of so many unemployed youths in the agricultural sector.
With the inclusion of tech-savvy youths in the agricultural sector, they will leverage technology and create a pathway for Nigeria to increase food productivity and competitiveness to curb food insecurity in the country.
NAMCON should ensure to support the agricultural system to enable youths to drive innovation in the sector, and also grow their incomes and the country’s revenue through sustainable and scalable food and technological farming practices.
In Nigeria, the high rate of unemployment and poverty has for a long time been a cause of concern to the government. Some youths out of frustration of being unemployed have subscribed to vices in the society, thereby causing chaos and insecurity in the country.
This unemployment issue can no doubt be solved by empowering these youths through agricultural development programs that will enable them to have opportunities for self-employment in Nigeria.
However, youth participation in the agricultural sector in the country has been largely low because the sector has been made unattractive due to risk, lack of funding, inadequate technology, and the likes. In order to change the negative perception of agriculture these youths have about agriculture, it will require a level of multilevel intervention from the government and agricultural bodies in the country, for them to view agriculture as a lucrative career path.