ATA-SP Phase 1 to attract private sector investment – Adesina

NaijaAgroNet

The Federal Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has said that the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme (ATASP-Phase1) will support infrastructure as four fasten Crop Processing Zones are to be implemented, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The project, he said came as a joint effort from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the African Development Bank(ADB) develop programmes for capacity building of the

youth and also create 200,000 new jobs for them.

NaijaAgroNet also report that while speaking at the project launch in Abuja, Dr Akinwumi  Adesina said, “The project will support the costs of infrastructure and value chain development and programme management for four Staple Crop Processing Zones to be implemented in Enugu, Anambra, Niger, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano and Jigawa States and will add an additional 20,000 metric tonnes of key commodity crops per year and create 200,000 new jobs for the youth.”

Also speaking at the launch, Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga, affirmed NaijaAgroNet that the institute is to back up the programme with significance addition on cassava, rice and sorghum and also guarantee the programme extends to the north central zones, through capacity building and training of the youth.

Dr Nteranya Sanginga said “We supported the first cassava bread and now we are also supporting the government to monitor, train and give new varieties which would be more productive.It is a five- year phase, but we have to start very quickly for the centre to be established here, we want it to be operational in 6 months’ time.”

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Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase 1 kicks off

NaijaAgroNet

The Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme of the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, financed by AfDB has been launched by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) alongside the African Development Bank AfDB, NaijaAgroNet reports.

NaijaAgroNet also report that the programme is expected to create additional incomes to an already enlarged number of producers and entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector in Nigeria by given about 120,000 jobs down the value chain of priority commodities with an additional 20 million tons of key commodity food crops which include cassava, rice, and sorghum that will be added to the domestic food supply each year.

According to Dr Nteranya Sanginga, the Director General of IITA explained that lots of young people are migrating to cities all over Africa in search of business opportunities, saying goodbye to an increasingly ageing population.

 “This project aims to build on the youth model developed in IITA to change mindsets of young men and women and gainfully engage them in agriculture.”

The project will also use young entrepreneurs in agriculture as a model the “IITA youth agripreneurs” to reach out to other young people in Africa and it will be implemented by IITA in Ibadan, Oyo State, and in DR Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia.

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... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology