Federal Ministry of Youth and IITA Partner to Train 6 Million Nigerians via Agribusiness Land Trust

The Ministry of Youth and IITA launch a Land Trust Fund to train 6 million Nigerians in climate-smart agribusiness and unlock land for youth-led farming.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 11, 2026, 5:12 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Independent

A Strategic Pivot Toward Agricultural Industrialization

The Federal Government has entered into a significant partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to address the dual challenges of youth unemployment and food insecurity. Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, announced the launch of the Youth in Agribusiness Land Trust Fund (YALTF) as a mechanism to transform Nigeria’s demographic profile into an economic engine. According to Olawande, this initiative is specifically designed to dismantle the barriers preventing young citizens from entering the agricultural sector, primarily the historical difficulty of securing viable land for farming enterprises.

Unlocking National Assets for Youth Development

A central component of this newly formalized agreement involves the activation of the 42 National Youth Development Centres located across the country. These centers will serve as the primary geographical hubs for the program, providing the physical land resources necessary for large-scale agricultural incubation. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Maryam Ismaila Keshinro, noted that by leveraging these existing government assets, the initiative creates a practical and sustainable pathway for land distribution that sidesteps traditional bureaucratic hurdles. This infrastructure is intended to serve as a foundation for a nationwide expansion of youth participation in the primary production sector.

Integrating Technology and Climate Resilience

The technical partnership with IITA introduces a modern, knowledge-based approach to traditional farming, focusing on what officials term climate-smart agricultural practices. Beyond simple crop cultivation, the curriculum will expose the six million targeted participants to digital farming tools and comprehensive value-chain opportunities. Dr. Simeon Ehui, Director-General of IITA, emphasized that the institute will provide the necessary technical support and innovation to transform these development centres into modern hubs for enterprise creation. This focus on sustainability is intended to ensure that the new wave of agripreneurs can withstand the environmental and economic shifts currently impacting the global food supply.