Agripreneurship scheme generates 15,000 jobs

Lagos State Government has said it has created over 15,000 jobs through Lagos Agripreneurship Programme (LAP), an initiative designed to equip youths with modern agricultural skills and promote food security.

It said the programme, targeted at youths between 18 and 30 years, provided training, internship and mentorship opportunities to expose participants to opportunities within the food system.

Director, Agricultural Training Institute, Araga, Epe, Folake Ogunlana-Lawal, said this during the closing ceremony of the four-week training for the 26th cohort of the programme.

She described LAP as a major platform for youth empowerment and capacity building in modern agriculture, noting that the initiative aligned with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems’ mandate under the THEMES+ developmental agenda of the state government.

Ogunlana-Lawal said over 5,000 youths had been trained under the programme, adding that beneficiaries had generated thousands of additional jobs.

According to her, each graduate of the programme has gone on to empower an average of two to three other persons through agricultural enterprises.

She said the next batch of trainees would begin training on February 22.

The director said the programme was designed to build a resilient and sustainable agricultural sector by equipping youths with agripreneurial skills, reducing unemployment and promoting climate-smart farming.

She said LAP was modelled after Israel’s Arava International Centre for Agriculture Training (AICAT) and was built on the principle of practical learning.

“The programme, conceptualised in 2020, involves a four-month training cycle consisting of one month of intensive on-site demonstration at the Lagos State Agricultural Training and Entrepreneurial Centre, Araga-Epe, followed by a three-month internship and mentorship phase with agro-allied companies,” she said.

She added that participants were trained, accommodated, fed and provided with training materials and safety kits.

According to her, the final stage of the programme involves enterprise activation, where successful participants undergo an incubation period at the Lagos Food Production and Entrepreneurial Centre, Songhai, Badagry.

Ogunlana-Lawal hailed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his commitment to youth empowerment and agricultural development.

Advertisement

She also lauded stakeholders and partners for their contributions to the success of the programme.

“I want to appreciate Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms Abisola Olusanya; Permanent Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Audu; and other directors in the ministry for their support,” she said.

She urged beneficiaries to remain committed to transforming agriculture and leveraging innovation to grow the sector.

“Over the past month, you have learnt the fundamentals of agripreneurship, innovative farming practices and the importance of market linkages. Now is the time to put theory into practice,” she told the trainees.

Two beneficiaries, Ayodeji Oyindamola John and Balogun Saheed Ololade, commended the state government for the opportunity provided through the programme.

Ayodeji, a graduate of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development from the University of Ilorin, said the training exposed him to the practical aspects of agriculture and enhanced his entrepreneurial skills.

Balogun said the programme broadened his knowledge in aquaculture and pig production, adding that he planned to establish an agribusiness to contribute to meat production and job creation.