Ecobank Nigeria Limited in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has concluded plans to expand the frontiers of agricultural opportunities for Nigerians by supporting 16,000 youths in wealth creation through agriculture.
Ms Ayo Osolake, Head of Public Sector and Agribusiness unit of the bank announced the training partnership in Lagos recently.
According to her, the partnership will train the beneficiary Nigerians between the ages of 18 to 40 years, and will cover key areas like poultry, aquaculture, horticulture and value addition.
Osolake said the bank and IITA designed the training for both digital and physical audiences.
She explained that the training had been structured into phases adding that the first phase would last for four weeks and be strictly online while the second phase would be hybrid.
It will entail practical sessions and farm visits.
“As a Pan-African institution, it is important for us to continue to sow the seeds of growth in the communities where we operate.
“This is, especially so, among young people who are the future of our nation and in real economy-impacting sectors like agriculture.
“This is at the heart of our partnership with IITA.
“We are combining the full scale of our expertise to empower and equip young Nigerians with the prerequisite knowledge for success in agriculture.
“Our commitment to helping young people create wealth is unwavering.
“We are keen on working with similar-minded stakeholders in other sectors to help nurture dreams of our youths,” Osolake said.
She added that the focus would be research, development and wealth creation.
“Now is a great time for anyone considering a future in agriculture to be a part of this training.
“The structure and areas of specialization have been carefully chosen to boost the capabilities of all attendees.
“The training will also cover both theoretical and practical aspects of everything they need to learn.
“It is a pleasure to work with a foremost institution like the IITA for this.”
Osolake said there would also be post-training support to improve start-up identity and market linkages.
The training is open only to Ecobank account holders and they are encouraged to register through this link: https://forms.office.com/r/DNQmKRkw55.