About 700 youths in Oyo State are set to benefit from a €2.4 million Youth Empowerment and Reintegration Project (YERP), aimed at creating sustainable livelihoods through agriculture and reducing irregular migration among young people.
The project was jointly launched by the Oyo State Government and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), with funding from the Government of Denmark. It targets youths between 18 and 35 years, particularly those in rural communities and returnee migrants from the South-West.
Speaking at the project agreement signing ceremony in Ibadan on Friday, the Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture, Barr. Olasunkanmi Olaleye, described the initiative as another milestone in Governor Seyi Makinde’s agricultural development agenda.
Olaleye said YERP would address youth unemployment, support the reintegration of returnee migrants, curb irregular migration and stimulate rural economic development. He added that beneficiaries would be supported with climate-smart agricultural training, cooperative development, market linkages and other livelihood opportunities.
The Commissioner disclosed that the state government had secured 1,766 hectares of unencumbered farmland in Ilero, Kajola Local Government Area, as well as 50 hectares at the Rural Community Development Centre in Aawe, Afijio Local Government Area, for the project.
According to him, the government would work with host communities, land donors, the private sector and development partners to provide beneficiaries with access to land, security, modern farming techniques, mechanisation and markets. He added that the state would also support the tractorisation of the farmland and sustainable land management.
Olaleye stressed that YERP goes beyond the provision of farmland, noting that it is designed to establish sustainable livelihoods and demonstrate how agriculture can serve as a tool for youth empowerment, food security and migration management. He urged young people to explore opportunities across the agricultural value chain, including production, processing, logistics, digital agriculture, mechanisation and marketing.
Also speaking, ICMPD Portfolio Manager for the Pan-Africa Region, Marcello Giordani, described Nigeria as the organisation’s biggest and most important partner in Africa. He expressed optimism that YERP would provide young people with the technology, opportunities and conditions needed to build sustainable careers and livelihoods through agriculture, while commending the Oyo State Government for its commitment to the partnership.
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