By Mandy Willy
Nigerian institutions have joined forces to implement the Transforming African Agriculture to Meaningfully Contribute to Africa’s Growth and Development (TAGDev 2.0) programme an initiative aimed at promoting youth development and empowerment through agriculture.
The programme, supported by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) and the Mastercard Foundation, focuses on equipping out-of-school youth, women, and differently-abled persons with practical agricultural and agribusiness skills to foster self-reliance and food security.
In Nigeria, one of the recent training sessions was held at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku, Rivers State, where participants were exposed to modern agricultural practices, including crop production, livestock management, and agribusiness entrepreneurship. The training also emphasized innovation, digital literacy, and sustainable farming methods tailored to local community needs.
Speaking during the session, Professor Ibisime Etela, TAGDev Programme Coordinator at the University of Port Harcourt, said the collaboration was crucial to advancing youth inclusion and building sustainable livelihoods in rural areas.
“Through the partnership with RUFORUM and the Mastercard Foundation, we are helping young people, women, and differently-abled persons acquire the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the agricultural sector,” Etela stated.
Also speaking, the Project Coordinator for FCE (Technical), Omoku, Dr. Oweisana Akpokabowei, described the initiative as life-changing, emphasizing that it provides real opportunities for economic empowerment, innovation, and rural transformation.
One of the participants, Vicky Alfred, a differently-abled woman, expressed gratitude for the opportunity, promising to put the knowledge gained into productive use within her community.
