‘Engaging in agriculture can reduce youth unemployment’
Nigerian youth have been advised to tap into the various sub-sectors in the agricultural value chain in order to reduce unemployment as well as boost the country’s food security. The Managing Director of Jumia Food, Guy Futi who identified the value chain as land, labour, water, technology, production, post-harvest handling, processing, storage and market, further […]
Nigerian youth have been advised to tap into the various sub-sectors in the agricultural value chain in order to reduce unemployment as well as boost the country’s food security.
The Managing Director of Jumia Food, Guy Futi who identified the value chain as land, labour, water, technology, production, post-harvest handling, processing, storage and market, further said agriculture is the ultimate solution to youth unemployment in Nigeria.
Futi stated this at a food and agriculture roundtable held recently in Lagos. In his presentation, he said youth constitute more than half of the Nigerian population, adding that it is this important segment of the population who are unemployed. “Agriculture can be the viable and pragmatic panacea to this ticking time bomb. Agriculture is one of the few sectors that can employ a large number of hands at the same time because the agricultural value chain is quite expansive.
“There are lots of jobs each value chain is creating and with stakeholders in the industry embracing technology, 61.6 percent of Nigerian youths who are currently unemployed according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) would definitely have something to do, notwithstanding if they are skilled or unskilled.”
On how to encourage youths to take up agricultural jobs, Futi said the sector has gone beyond the days of hoes and cutlasses.
“We must tackle this perception. Agriculture has embraced technology. It has gotten to the extent that youths do not need to be a farmer before investing or working in a farm. It is about the youths equipping themselves with the needed skills to take advantage of these jobs.”