Food insecurity: NYSC urges Nigerian youths to engage in agribusiness
The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has said that active Nigerian youths should actively involve themselves in agribusiness as a prerequisite to ending the country’s food insecurity and unemployment.
The director general of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, made this call at the 3rd edition of the Agricultural Youths Summit in Abuja on Thursday.
Nafiu, who was represented by Abe Dankaro, director of ventures management at NYSC, said the event comes at a critical time when Nigeria is grappling with both high youth unemployment and rising food security concerns.
According to him, the agricultural sector presents huge opportunities for innovation, job creation, and national development—particularly when driven by the energy and creativity of young Nigerians.
“Nigeria is confronted with the dual challenge of high youth unemployment and growing concerns over food security. Yet, in every challenge lies an opportunity, and that opportunity is agribusiness—a sector rich in potential but in need of young minds to drive its transformation.
He noted the Corp collaboration with Leventis has helped build a new generation of “agripreneurs” equipped not only for farming but also for entrepreneurship.
“This is not just about farming; it is about building a generation of self-reliant, job-creating, and economically empowered youths who will take agriculture to new heights of innovation and enterprise.
“See yourselves not as job seekers, but as nation builders armed with knowledge, resilience, and purpose,” he stated.
On his part, the Chairman of LFN, Ahmed Manti, has emphasised the need for improved access to agricultural financing to support smallholder farmers and scale youth-led agribusinesses in the country.
“One of the major challenges we continue to observe is limited access to agri-financing and the preparedness of smallholder farmers to secure such funding,” he said. “Strengthening investment in agriculture is a key policy tool for boosting productivity and achieving food security in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.”
“We believe this summit will continue to strengthen the agricultural ecosystem and drive economic development,” he added.