YOUTH Agvocates Nigeria (YAN), last Friday held its inaugural summit in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) with the sole aim of investing and getting the youths to actively participate in agriculture.

Youth Agvocates Nigeria (YAN) was birthed out of the need to change the narrative of uninclusive youth’s involvement in revolutionizing agriculture in Nigeria with inefficient participation.

While addressing the 340 youths and nine speakers in attendance at the summit with the theme “Investing in youth: The gateway to agricultural productivity,’ which was held at the International Conference room of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture,(IITA), Ibadan, the convener of Youth Agvocates Nigeria, Miss Tolulope Aina, stressed the need to maximize the YAN network.

“Collaboration is needed in agribusiness not competition, the Youth Agvocates Nigeria (YAN) is ever ready to help individuals who reached out for mentorship or market linkage,” she added.

YAN secretary, Mr. John Durosinmi, in his welcome address highlighted the vision and mission of YAN which boils down to facilitating more youths participation in agriculture productively and efficiently, including the policy surrounding it.

Under the sub-theme ‘Every Entrepreneur fails before they succeed,’ the first panel keynote speech which was delivered by the founder/CEO of JR Farms (USA, Nigeria and Rwanda), Mr Rotimi Olawale, stressed that the problems youths face in agriculture is not from funding but lack of knowledge.

SOURCE: TRIBUNE