Olamide Francis
The Lagos State government has begun the recruitment of eligible and interested candidates for the batches four, five and six of its Lagos Agripreneurship Programme (LAP) under its Agriculture-based Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric-YES), Nature News gathered.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, who disclosed this, noted that the programme was in furtherance of the state government’s objective of training no fewer than 15,000 youths and women in the various agricultural value chains by the year 2023.
She pointed out that the one-month training exercise is aimed at improving capacity, creating wealth and employment in the agricultural value chains – poultry, piggery, aquaculture and vegetables.
According to her, the strategic inclusion of the LAP Programme would efficiently reduce unemployment, create jobs and alleviate poverty in the state, as well as attract and pay more attention to the creation of jobs for women in agribusiness.
In her words: “Following the training of a total of 400 participants under three batches of the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme, L.A.P, Lagos State will begin the recruitment and shortlisting of interested candidates for the batches four, five and six of the Programme.
“The current reality and exigencies of job creation for the teeming youth population and attainment of food security requires that a more aggressive, strategic and efficient approach be employed in the training and empowerment of women and youths, if Lagos State is to achieve a significant reduction of unemployment, create more jobs and wealth and also significantly enhance food security in the state by the year 2023,” Olusanya said.
The Commissioner noted that the significance of the training would be the creation of 2000 Agro-Entrepreneurs who would, in turn, become job creators, promote food security, improve nutrition and general well-being of Lagosians, as well as create at least 4000 indirect jobs per beneficiary annually