Ogun State government in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has officially handed over 279 hectares of developed farmland to landless youths and women under the Sustainable Land Development for Landless Youths and Women Initiative of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ-IFAD) Programme.

The gesture is aimed at transforming the agricultural sector to significantly contribute to economic growth, job creation and food security.

It covers three participating local councils – Odogbolu, Obafemi Owode, and Yewa North.

The programme would provide beneficiaries with access to developed, productive and climate-resilient farmland to boost agricultural production, improved livelihoods and strengthen rural economic development.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Bolu Owotomo, while speaking during the symbolic handover of developed farmland at Ibido-Ogbo in Odogbolu Local Council, stated that the event marked the official handover of the land allocation exercise under the SAPZ-IFAD Programme for landless youths and women across the participating local councils.

Owotomo said the state government remained committed to implementing initiatives that enhance agricultural productivity, improve access to productive resources, expand agricultural value chains, generate employment opportunities and position Ogun State as a leading destination for agricultural investment in Nigeria.

He noted that the land development project, which commenced barely a month ago, has recorded significant progress through the collaboration of the state government, the SAPZ-IFAD Programme, development partners, consultants, contractors and the host communities.

The Chairman of Odogbolu Local Council, Babatunde Oyetola-Diya, while commending Governor Dapo Abiodun for prioritising the development of the local council through agricultural interventions, urged beneficiaries to maximise the opportunity to build sustainable livelihoods in the agricultural sector.

Also speaking, Mogoosu of Ibido-Ogbo Community, Oba Temitope Oyenuga, thanked Abiodun and the Federal Government for supporting youths and women in the community. The monarch urged the beneficiaries to justify the confidence reposed in them by becoming worthy ambassadors of the government’s agricultural initiatives.

In his welcome address, acting State Programme Coordinator of SAPZ, Mr. Ibrahim Busi, described the intervention as one of the flagship projects under the programme’s first phase, adding that the project will develop about 279 hectares of farmland across six strategic locations in the state.

The State Agro-Processing Engineer for SAPZ, Oluwatoyin Odejobi, and the contractor, Green Growers Agro-Equip and Leasing Co.Ltd., represented by Mr. Babatunde Okedare, in their separate remarks, urged the beneficiaries to protect the farmland and make productive use of it to enhance agricultural production.

Some of the beneficiaries, including Mr. Obikoya Ayomide; Mrs. Juliana Abosede and Mrs. Akpan Suliat, thanked the state government for the initiative, describing it as a life-changing opportunity that would improve their livelihoods and boost food production.