Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, said granting the youth access to land would facilitate their participation in agriculture.

Speaking at the national launch of the Youth Agribusiness Land Trust Fund (YALTF) in Abuja yesterday, the minister commended the initiative as a major enabler of youth involvement in agriculture and its value chain.

The YALTF is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), aimed at getting more young Nigerians into agriculture.

The programme hopes to unlock land resources within the 42 National Youth Development Centres across Nigeria for youth-led agribusiness.

It targets six million Nigerian youths who would be trained by the IITA in modern agriculture, climate-smart farming, value-chain opportunities and agribusiness incubation.

Bagudu said the trust fund was a timely and strategic measure to address one of the most significant barriers to youth participation in agriculture, access to land.

He said that although Nigeria has vast agricultural potential, challenges related to land access, ownership structures and inadequate coordination continue to constrain productivity and discourage long-term investment.

The minister said agriculture must no longer be seen as subsistence farming but as a modern business sector capable of creating jobs, driving innovation and strengthening the national economy.

Drawing lessons from global examples such as the Netherlands, he explained that agricultural success is determined not only by land size but also by organisation, technology, skills and productivity.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration among federal, state and local governments, noting that land administration and agricultural development require a “whole-of-government and whole-of-federation approach grounded in shared responsibility and partnership”.

The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to moving beyond policy discussions to practical youth empowerment initiatives.

He stated that the challenge facing Nigerian youth was not a lack of talent or innovation, but limited access to opportunities and support.