Comrade Noble Adaelu, the former Senior Special Assistant on Agricultural Value Chain to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and National President of the Concerned Youths Empowerment Association of Nigeria, has called for urgent action to strengthen Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
Adaelu advocated for the implementation of affordable loan schemes and well-structured empowerment programmes to stimulate growth in agriculture and empower the nation’s youth.
He stated this after receiving the award of Outstanding Pillar of Agriculture in Nigeria from the Women’s Rights and Peace Protection Initiative for Africa in Abuja.
He expressed delight that his work was recognised through the award of excellence, saying that it would spur him to do more.
He said, “We have the raw materials, all we need is the commitment to diversify the economy through Agriculture.”
“There should be realistic empowerment programs on Agribusiness and the agro-processing industry backed with single-digit loan interest.”
“Many Nigerian youths are not well-informed on modern farming methodologies and its unique values. There should be realistic empowerment programs to encourage them in Agribusiness.”
On the award, he said, “It challenges me to do more in promoting agriculture in Nigeria and creating gainful employment for the youths through agriculture.”
He noted that the goals and objectives of the Concerned Youth Empowerment Association of Nigeria, among others, are to develop youths who are creative and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.
Other objectives, he said, are to equip people with the necessary skills for self-reliance and provide meaningful and relevant knowledge in Agribusiness and the agro-processing industry.
