JOIN THE TRANSFORMATION TRAIN! - - - NIGERIA NEEDS YOUNGER NAGROPRENEURS TO SECURE THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY” - PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN Fri, Dec 19, 2014 President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has stated the need to engage the youths in focused programmes because Nigeria needs younger Nagropreneurs to secure the future of the country. In his address at the official launch of the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) and the Fund For Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday, 16th December, 2014, President Jonathan explained the need to raise a new cadre of young farmers and agribusiness leaders in Nigeria, saying he has worked very hard to reduce youth unemployment. President Jonathan maintained that about 750,000 young commercial farmers would be created from the YEAP programme. According to him, “There is the need to change the mind-set of our young graduates”. Mr. President said the gap between farmers and Government has been bridged, saying the agricultural sector was very vital to the economy. According to him, “the declining price of crude oil did not take us by surprise, hence, the need to develop the agricultural sector”. President Jonathan declared that agriculture is the new wealth sector in Nigeria and government would make it very attractive to the youth. He said YEAP will further change the face of agriculture. Mr. President commended FAFIN initiative that has made available $100 million to support the SMEs saying the future of Nigeria is in the hands of the youth and thanked KFW, the German Development Bank, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), FAO and other development partners for their collaborative support. Earlier in his welcome address,, the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina , stated the need to develop future millionaires in the agricultural sector, which he said has necessitated the Youth Employment in Agricultural Programme (YEAP). The Minister assured Nigerians that agriculture will become Nigeria’s new oil. He predicted that in five years to come, Nigeria would have a new generation of Nagropreneurs consisting largely of graduate youths. Quoting the National Bureau of Statistics, the Minister said Agriculture has grown to 9.9%, while agricultural investments has reached $5.6 Billion and therefore thanked Mr. President for his total support in the agricultural sector. The climax of the launch was the conferment of the award of Grand Transformer of Nigeria’s Agriculture to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 12:11:35 +0000
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