Career in agric rewarding, experts tells youths

Youths across Nigeria have been advised to embrace a career in the agricultural sector, given its rewarding and sustainable attributes.

The Executive Director, Greenport Nigeria, Mrs Edobong Akpabio, said this on Thursday at a job fair organised in Ibadan, Oyo State, by the IFAD Agrihub project of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.

The fair had as its theme ‘Empowering Youth for Sustainable Agri-food Careers: Skills and Opportunities’.

Akpabio described agriculture as the most sustainable sector, given the crucial role it plays in human survival.

She noted that there was more to agriculture beyond farming, adding that instead of looking for jobs for the sake of simply earning salaries, young people could embrace a career in agriculture as it provides them with a sense of purpose, financial stability and personal fulfilment.

In her speech, titled, ‘Creating a career, not just taking up roles in the agric sector’, she stated, “We are encouraging young people looking for sustainable careers to look at the agro-sector. Based on findings, top careers in the agro-sector in 2024 include agriculture finance professionals, animal scientists, veterinary professionals, soil scientists, renewable energy specialists, water resources experts, robotics experts, marketing professionals, agro-extension professionals, agro-insurance professionals, beekeepers, supply chain professionals, farm safety experts.

“A lot of the skills employers need in 2024 have less than 20 per cent to do with production. There is a whole lot outside of production, and those gaps need to be filled. However, to succeed in this sector, people must be accountable, passionate, have integrity, know how to cultivate relationships and be excellent at what they do.

“Even if they didn’t study agriculture in school, there are platforms in the agricultural sector where their education will be useful. There are gaps they can fill, and they can be happy doing it, and they can earn money and lead a good life.”

The organisers of the event said the project, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Visa Foundation and BMZ, was designed to facilitate job linkage and expose young people to opportunities in the agricultural sector.

Speaking on the impact of the project, the project coordinator, Omotomiwa Adesanya, said 3,946 youths across 19 states had been trained, out of which 908 had established their businesses, while the youth-led agribusinesses also created an additional 1,352 jobs.

He added that the project had facilitated the employment of 2,570 youths, with 54 per cent female participation.

Adesanya added, “Over the years, we have trained youths and connected them with companies in the agricultural value chain for employment, while we have supported some to start their businesses.

“However, this job fair was to enable other youths to benefit, and that was why we made it open to all youths. Also, by interacting with the employers, they will be familiar with the skills in demand. We brought some of our partners so they could interact and ultimately employ the participants that have the skills they require.”

While highlighting the motivation for the fair, the Coordinator of Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) at the IITA, Dr Chrysantus Akem, said the IITA Youth in Agribusiness Office was established to link young people to opportunities in agriculture, build their capacity across different value chains and support them in their respective enterprises.

“IITA is known as a leading research institute, but in addition to that, we try to deliver what comes out of the research to the end users, young farmers inclusive,” he added.

Meanwhile, an IFAD representative, Hisham Zehni, said the institution was delighted that the project had surpassed expectations.

He added, “This is just one example of how our collective efforts are empowering young people and communities, and in particular, women. The job fair is a critical step in continuing this mission.

“The potential is vast, and with the support of private sector partners, government agencies, and the youth, we can continue to unlock new opportunities and drive new growth.”

He also described the recent unveiling of the IFAD Agrihub Job Portal as a powerful tool that would bridge the gap between young talents and opportunities within Nigeria’s growing agro sector.

Similarly, IFAD Country Director in Nigeria, Ms Ekoue Dede, said the job fair was a unique opportunity to form partnerships between potential employers and youths who are interested in getting jobs and business opportunities in the agribusiness sector.

She added, “We want to say that IFAD’s commitment to promoting youth in agriculture is really strong, and IFAD Agrihub was born out of this commitment and we have been privileged to witness some of the key results achieved by the IFAD Agrihub project.

“We believe in the transformational power of the youth in agribusiness. This is our plea as IFAD; let’s harness the potential of the youth.”

During the event, attended by about 300 youths, employers in the agro-sector held interactions with the participants, while the available positions ranged from Farm Managers to Accountants, Data Analysts and Supply Chain Supervisors, among several others.