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Showing posts with label Employment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Employment. Show all posts

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Grow Africa Partnership secures $10bn to boost agriculture



NaijaAgroNET

Over 200 member companies have committed $10-billion about N1.99 trillion in the Agricultural sector in 12 African countries aimed at boosting agriculture and employment on the continent. This figure represents an increase of about 40 per cent over 2013 commitment levels reports NaijaAgroNet.

Grow Africa released the figures at the Grow Africa Investment Forum in Cape Town as the first stage of a joint reporting process for Grow Africa and the New Alliance, on behalf of the African Union.

According the information received by NaijaAgroNet, “Investment continues to increase: in 2013 and 2014, investments totalling $1.8 billion about N358.2billion have led to the creation of 58 000 jobs, bringing improvements in services and market opportunities to 8.6 million smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of the sector’s production capacity.

Sarita Nayyar, Managing Director, World Economic Forum said, “We stand at a pivotal moment of opportunity to capitalize on an enormous body of collective learning to foster successful public-private cooperation. We must seize this opportunity to deliver on the promise of African agriculture to drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth for the continent.”

 “Over half of the investment commitments come from domestic agribusiness and service companies, which benefit from Grow Africa’s focus on convening and facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships to strengthen inclusive agricultural value chains.”

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the Grow Africa Partnership was founded jointly in 2011 by the African Union (AU), The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the World Economic Forum to enable countries to realize the potential of the agriculture sector for economic growth and job creation, particularly among farmers, women and youth.
In 2014, about $300-million, about N59.7 of staple and cash crops were sourced from smallholders as a result of the investments.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ GEE
 
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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

IITA initiatives contribute to Nigeria food security


The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has declared that it contributed massively to the country’s efforts towards food security, employment generation, diversification of the country’s economy with value chain agriculture, and better nutrition.
IITA Communication Officer for West and Central Africa, Mr Godwin Atser made this assertion while speaking to newsmen and pointed out that IITA Director-General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, has the zeal to empower the youth, hence he started a pilot project last year on how the institute can use agriculture as a tool to engage the youth corps members, empower them through training by inspiration by going into the field, writing proposal and making money from agriculture.
NaijaAgroNet gathered from Atser that about 25 graduates have keyed into the youth project and had cultivated 50 hectares of cassava using the project to meet the stem demands of farmers.  
“IITA has been very successful. If not for IITA, there would not have been cassava in Nigeria.  In the 1970s, there was a disease that was wiping out cassava in Africa.  IITA and its partners released wasps which killed the cassava bug that was killing cassava.
Atser informed NaijaAgroNet that when the presidential cassava initiative was initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, IITA propelled the efforts and production rose by 10 million metric tonnes and Nigeria became the largest world producer of cassava.
He disclosed that IITA’s door is open for youths who are interested in agriculture  to write to the institute on-line or on the website and advocated for the training of youth in the yam value chain, while government and other stakeholders  create more awareness about cassava flour and bread.
     
AN/GEE                                            
*With Additional report from Tribune


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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Presidential aide tasks youths to embrace agriculture

 

Anthony Nwakaegho /NaijaAgroNet

 The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Dr Precious Gbeneol has called on youths to take advantage of the various policies of the government especially in agriculture and embrace it as a means of viable employment.
Dr Gbeneol gave the charge on the occasion of World Poverty Day, and said that the most sustainable way to eradicate poverty is to engage more people to work and called on the private sector to come up with more creative ways of creating employment as a means of alleviating poverty.
NaijaAgroNet noted from presidential adviser to MDGs that the country has made meaningful progress in trying to eradicate extreme poverty since it adopted the MDGs in 2000 alongside other countries.
She explained that the country has partially accomplished goal one by reducing the proportion of people suffering from extreme poverty and hunger by 50 per cent ahead of the target date of 2015 and stressed that the country was honoured earlier in the year for the feat at the week-long 38th session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)  event in Rome.
The Ministry of Agriculture, she said had been able to train 5,000 youths in 10 different value chains, provided start-up packages for 6,000 youths, as well as access to credit and other inputs through the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES); trained 2,500 women in poultry, bull fattening, sheep and goat production, bee keeping, crop value chains and extension, among others in the past three years.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that FAO gave the award to Nigeria for being able to reduce the number of its citizens suffering from hunger from 19.31 million in 1990 and 1992 to 13.38 million in 2010 and 2012.

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Pix:President Goodluck Jonathan

Friday, August 10, 2012

AEO calls on government to boost job creation for youths


The African Economic Outlook has called on governments across the continent to boost jobs creation for youths.
NaijaAgroNet learnt from the outlook that the population of African youths is expected to double by 2045, giving the continent one billion workforce and making it the largest globally.
The AEO also urged the government to provide employment opportunities and ensure a political process that would allow the youths to express their views towards policy changes in order to prevent instability in the continent.
“This is an opportune time to reset the policy agenda of African governments towards an inclusive, employment-creating and sustainable growth strategy, aimed particularly at addressing the special needs of the young,” the outlook reads in part.
The current trend of education on the continent, NaijaAgroNet gathered will result to 59 per cent of 20-24 years old with secondary education by 2030 as against the present 42 per cent and by 2030 there would be 12million African youths with tertiary education.
NaijaAgroNet recalls that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) revealed recently that 73million jobs were created between 2000 and 2008 with 16 million targeted at populations between 15 and 24 years of age, leading to unemployment of youths in informal jobs.


Yinka Awosanya
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