The impact of the IITA youth program Start Them Early Program (STEP) is far reaching; it goes beyond focusing on students alone and influences teachers to make the right entrepreneurial decisions to generate more income for themselves. The communities, by extension, enjoy the intervention because of the numerous benefits from the program, including the provision of pipe-borne water, solar power, bright students, and new agribusiness techniques.
On 14 July, IITA Director General Dr Nteranya Sanginga and the STEP team visited two of the six secondary schools chosen for STEP expansion under the first phase of the STEP-Oyo State Government Project to inspect the progress of the ongoing rehabilitation of facilities. At United Missionary Church of Africa (UMCA) Secondary Grammar School, Igbeti and Iresaadu High School, Iresaadu along Ogbomoso Road, the DG and his team toured the newly built infrastructure as well as the rehabilitated facilities, including the Laboratory, Value Addition Center, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facility.