Leventis Foundation, Youth Corps Unveil N20m Grant For Young Farmers

In partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Leventis Foundation Nigeria will hold the 2025 Agricultural Youth Summit in Abuja to empower young agripreneurs and foster innovation in the agricultural sector.

At the summit, scheduled for November 6, 2025, at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja, 10 youth farmers with the most viable business proposals will be awarded N2 million each to take their enterprises to greater heights.

The executive director of Leventis Foundation Nigeria, Dr Hope Usieta, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a press conference.

He said, “One of the highlights of the summit is the grant award of up to ₦2 million to outstanding young agribusiness owners who present viable ideas and pitches during the summit.

This initiative is a deliberate investment in youth-led agricultural innovation and entrepreneurship to support the next generation of agripreneurs.”

Usieta hinted that since its inception in 1988, the foundation has trained 31,000 young farmers in Nigeria from its six schools.

He said 70 per cent of these farmers are still active in business and contributing immensely to Nigeria’s food security.

He said the summit would be attended by young agripreneurs, policymakers, development partners, financiers, and agricultural experts nationwide.

Themed “Building Youth and Agripreneurs’ Resilience for Agribusiness through Targeted Upskilling and Innovative Agri-Finance,” Usieta said the summit will address the challenges youth-led agribusinesses face in establishing thriving ventures.

According to Usieta, the forthcoming event underscores the Leventis Foundation’s commitment to strengthening youth participation, innovation and resilience in the agricultural sector.

Usieta stressed the importance of empowering young Nigerians to become agripreneurs who can create jobs, boost productivity and contribute to national food security.

He said the foundation has remained steadfast in its mission to train, empower, and mentor young Nigerians in agriculture.

This year’s youth summit will feature expert-led workshops, panel sessions, presentations by key stakeholders, and an exhibition of agribusinesses.

The one-day event is designed to be hands-on and solution-oriented, offering practical guidance that participants can immediately apply to their ventures.

The workshops’ key technical partners include Extension Africa, Business Visa and Training Co. Ltd, the Abuja Enterprise Agency, and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

These partners will share their expertise and experiences with participants, providing valuable insights and skills to enhance their agribusinesses.

The summit is a response to the rapid transformation of the global agricultural system, driven by social and economic pressures and climate change. In this context, Nigeria’s young people represent both the most incredible opportunity and the most crucial resource for building a sustainable agricultural future, Usieta said

The summit aims to equip participants with practical skills, business insights, and access to innovative agri-finance tools by providing a platform for learning, collaboration, and enterprise development. This will enable them to start or scale their agribusinesses, creating jobs and contributing to national food security.

The NYSC director of the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Department (SAED), Mr Kehinde Aremu, said the partnership between the two organisations would address innovative financing because the traditional ways of funding small businesses cannot always be guaranteed.

Aremu said funding is one of the significant challenges facing youth farmers and expressed delight that the subject is a key aspect of the summit.

He said the NYSC was keen on making corps members see farming as a career.