FG Calls for Financing, Opportunities for Youth in Agriculture

News in brief:

-Nigeria’s Federal Government calls for increased financing and support for youth-led agribusiness to strengthen food systems.

-Initiatives include mentorship, market access, climate-resilient farming and policy-backed financial inclusion for young farmers.

The Federal Government is promoting collaboration among stakeholders to empower Nigerian youth in agriculture, focusing on finance access, mentorship and climate-resilient farming. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, revealed that young people, who make up over 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population, are central to transforming the nation’s agrifood systems.

The call was made at the first National AgriBusiness Strategy Youth Dialogue in Abuja, themed Building Climate-Resilient and Finance-Enabled Pathways for Youth in Agrifood Systems in Nigeria.

"When we empower our youth with access to finance and opportunity, we are not simply supporting individual enterprises. We are shaping markets, strengthening resilience and defining the future of our agrifood systems," Kyari said.

Policy and Strategic Support

The minister highlighted integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Agricultural Youth Strategy into the National Agricultural Technology framework as evidence of government commitment to a sustainable and innovation-driven sector.

He noted that partnerships with institutions such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Agriculture (BoA), National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) are expanding credit access, derisking rural investment and scaling climate risk insurance for youth-led enterprises.

“These reforms strengthen credit delivery and extend digital financial services to underserved communities, building a more resilient and youth-driven agrifood system,” Kyari added.

Translating Strategy into Action

Kyari stressed the importance of translating policy into measurable impact through mentorship, market access, and strategic partnerships to build competitive agribusinesses.

“A strategy on paper is not enough. Domestication through state-level adoption, stakeholder alignment and measurable implementation is where real impact lies,” he said.

Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, said achieving food security requires positioning young Nigerians at the centre of agricultural development. He identified climate variability, limited finance, infrastructure gaps, and restricted land access as barriers that must be addressed to attract youth into the sector.

Focus on Food Systems

David Adama, Senior Specialist, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, said the focus has shifted from agriculture alone to broader food systems.

“Our target is clear: we must empower at least 30 per cent of youth and 30 per cent of women across every food system value chain, while reducing the gender youth gap by 50 per cent,” he said, noting that Nigeria is the first country to domesticate the Africa Agribusiness Youth Strategy through the dialogue.

Adama urged young people to seize this opportunity to ensure their ideas are integrated into the national agricultural plan.