The Oyo State Government, in partnership with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), has launched a €2.4 million Youth Empowerment and Reintegration Project (YERP) aimed at empowering about 700 youths through agriculture.
The initiative, funded by the Government of Denmark, targets young people between the ages of 18 and 35, particularly those in rural communities and returnee migrants across the South-West.
The project was formally launched on Friday during the signing of the project agreement in Ibadan.
Speaking at the event, Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye, described the initiative as another milestone in Governor Seyi Makinde’s agricultural development agenda.
He said the project was designed to address youth unemployment, support the sustainable reintegration of returnee migrants, discourage irregular migration and stimulate economic development in rural communities.
“YERP is an important intervention designed to support teeming youth, particularly rural young people and returnee migrants, by creating sustainable opportunities for them through agriculture and related economic activities,” Olaleye said.
“The project aims to address rural youth unemployment, support the sustainable reintegration of returnee migrants, curb irregular migration and drive rural economic development through climate-smart and sustainable agriculture.”
According to him, the intervention would engage 700 youths in productive agricultural livelihoods while providing them with opportunities to improve their economic prospects and participate in modern agricultural practices.
Olaleye said the state government had secured 1,766 hectares of unencumbered farmland in Ilero, Kajola Local Government Area, and another 50 hectares at the Rural Community Development Centre in Aawe, Afijio Local Government Area, for the project.
He said the government would collaborate with relevant stakeholders, host communities, land donors, private-sector operators and development partners to ensure that beneficiaries had access to land, security, training, modern farming techniques and markets.
The Commissioner explained that YERP would provide beneficiaries with climate-smart agricultural training, cooperative development support, market linkages and livelihood assistance.
He added that the state government would facilitate partnerships among stakeholders and support the tractorisation of the farmland to enhance productivity.
Olaleye said the project was not merely about allocating farmland but about developing sustainable livelihoods and generating evidence that could inform future policies on youth empowerment and migration management.
He noted that the initiative would also promote sustainable land management and contribute to the state’s efforts to strengthen food security.
The Commissioner said YERP complemented existing programmes of the Makinde administration aimed at making agriculture attractive to young people as a viable business and career.
He listed some of the ongoing interventions as youth agricultural training, agribusiness development, access to productive resources, climate-smart agriculture, mechanisation, digital soil testing, extension services and market-oriented interventions.
“YERP is therefore coming into an environment where a foundation for youth participation in agriculture already exists. What the partnership with ICMPD brings is an additional opportunity to extend these efforts to more rural young people and returnee migrants,” he said.
Olaleye urged young people to take advantage of opportunities across the agricultural value chain, stressing that modern agriculture had gone beyond the traditional use of hoes and cutlasses.
He said youths could build careers in areas such as production, processing, logistics, digital agriculture, mechanisation and marketing.
Also speaking, the ICMPD Portfolio Manager for the Pan-Africa Region, Marcello Giordani, said he visited Ibadan specifically for the YERP partnership, describing Nigeria as the organisation’s “biggest and most important partner in Africa.”
Giordani said although ICMPD was implementing several projects in Nigeria, YERP was particularly significant because of its potential to create sustainable opportunities for young people through agriculture.
“I really believe that this project could become an interesting opportunity for a number of young people from this area to explore their potential and create a positive change in their future by working in agriculture,” he said.
“With new technology and the right conditions to enable them to build their future and earn a living through agriculture, I believe this project could be of great help.”
He expressed satisfaction with the cooperation received from the Oyo State Government, noting that the signing of the agreement during his second visit to the state demonstrated the government’s commitment to the partnership.
“This really shows the commitment, ownership and the fact that the Oyo State Government is taking our partnership seriously. We are doing exactly the same on our side,” Giordani said.
The event was attended by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs Abosede Owoeye; directors and senior officials of the ministry; representatives of ICMPD and other stakeholders.