Date: 2018-01-18

No fewer than 40 youths in Ilofa, Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara, have benefitted from a training programme in cassava value chain development.

The one-week agripreneurship training was organised by Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), in collaboration with McGeorge Consulting, Ilorin.

Dr Olufemi Oladunni, Executive Director, ARMTI, said on Wednesday that the empowerment scheme was designed to educate the youth on cassava production and processing, as part of efforts to boost food security.

Oladunni, who was represented by Mrs Abigael Eyilade, Head, Women and Youth Division of ARMTI, said the participants comprised 32 males and eight females drawn from the 10 wards of the local council.

He said that ARMTI had the capability to conduct capacity building training for youths and other members of the society in other sectors of the national economy.

Oladunni said that the training was aimed at educating the youth in cassava value chain development.

"It is our hope that at the end of this intensive training, the participants would have gathered enough experience that would be profitable in their activities and wealth generation," he said.

Dr Olusola Ogunjirin, Lead Consultant, McGeorge Consulting, said that the training was prompted by the desire to equip the youth with relevant skills in agribusiness development and management.

According to him, such skills are needed to develop and transform agriculture in the country.

He described the training concept as a veritable platform to empower restive youths and reduce unemployment the country.

In a goodwill message, the traditional ruler of Ilofa, Oba Samuel Dada, urged the participants to take optimum advantage of the training to become self-reliant.

The monarch, who was represented by Chief Moses Oni, urged the youth to be vanguard of agripreneurship development in the country.

Mr Joseph Oni, the Chairman of Oke-Ero Local Government Council, commended the organisers of the training for their foresight and urged them to sustain the activity.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the courses of the training include Concepts of Agricultural Commodity and Value Chain Development in Nigerian as well as Agripreneurship Skills Development.

Others are Agricultural Land Development for Increased Yield, Gender Mainstreaming in Cassava Value Chain Development as well as Cassava Production Techniques to obtain High and Sustainable Yield.

The highlight of the training was the presentation of certificates to the participants. (NAN)