The Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Geoffrey van Leeuwen, has applauded the Youth in Agribusiness, Enabling the Scaling of Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Food Solutions (YAS) project of IITA–CGIAR for exposing more youth to high-tech agriculture through training and other support initiatives.
Speaking during his recent visit to the Golden Finger Farms and Ranches, the YAS Agrihub in Abuja, where selected young people were trained in the aquaculture value chain, the Minister said if the Netherlands could be the second largest exporter of agricultural products globally despite its 18 million population, Nigeria could harness its population, especially the youth demographic, to boost its agricultural productivity.
He added that YAS would help Nigeria attain food security and reduce youth unemployment, as he noted that the youth remained the future of Nigeria.