From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), has concluded its annual youth empowerment programme.
The programme is aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical skills to succeed as agripreneurs and contribute to food security.
The initiative, which drew participants from across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, focused on promoting agribusiness development among youth and women.
This year’s edition trained 20 practising poultry farmers, enhancing their knowledge in vegetable production and poultry feed formulation to improve productivity and profitability.
Speaking at the closing ceremony held at ARMTI headquarters in Ilorin, the Executive Director, Dr. Olufemi Oladunni, charged the participants to put their newly acquired knowledge into practice.
He said the goal of the programme was to drive economic growth through agriculture, create jobs, reduce poverty and strengthen food security.
“Agriculture remains one of the most sustainable solutions to unemployment in Nigeria,” Dr. Oladunni said.
“If well practised, it can empower our Youths to become employers of labour and key contributors to the nation’s economy. I urge you all to embrace the challenges you encounter as part of the learning process.”
He commended stakeholders and partners who have supported ARMTI’s empowerment initiatives, as well as security operatives who ensured the safety of participants throughout the training.
Programme Coordinator, Mr. Abdulhameed Odeseye, explained that the training was intensive and combined both classroom and field sessions to expose participants to modern agricultural practices and business management strategies.
Participants were also taken on field study visits to practical farming sites to observe real-life applications of their classroom lessons.
One of the beneficiaries, Abdurrazaq Omotoyosi, described the experience as transformative. “This programme opened my eyes to new opportunities in agribusiness. I have gained business knowledge and practical skills that will help me make meaningful contributions to my community through agriculture,” she said.
Another participant, Olatunji Ebenezer Adedayo, noted that the training had deepened his understanding of value addition in agriculture. “The secrets of agribusiness have been unlocked for me. With my new skills in vegetable production and feed formulation, I can now expand my enterprise and cut production costs,” he said.
ARMTI’s annual youth empowerment scheme continues to serve as a platform for building a new generation of agripreneurs capable of transforming Nigeria’s agricultural landscape and ensuring long-term food sustainability.
