The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has generated more than 90,000 employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for Nigerian youths, women, and persons with disabilities through the Innovative Youth in Agriculture (I-Youth) project.

Launched in 2020, I-Youth equips young people aged 15–35 with technical, entrepreneurial, and business skills to establish agribusinesses or secure dignified employment within the agrifood system. The programme has been implemented across Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Jigawa, and Adamawa states, with a particular focus on inclusivity.

Speaking at the Phase I closeout ceremony, IITA Director-General and CGIAR Regional Director for Continental Africa, Dr Simeon Ehui, highlighted the importance of investing in young people.

“I-Youth demonstrates what happens when vision, partnership, and opportunity converge. When young people are given skills, mentorship, and access to markets, they do not just seek jobs; they create them,” he said.

Dr Ehui attributed the project’s success to collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, state governments, private sector actors, training institutions, and community leaders. He said the partnership had resulted in the establishment of 36,053 youth-led agribusinesses, as well as the creation of agribusiness parks, innovation hubs, and cooperative clusters.

Also speaking, Country Director of the Mastercard Foundation in Nigeria, Ms Rosy Fynn, noted the contribution of I-Youth to the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy.

“I-Youth has been a major contributor to our goal of enabling 10 million Nigerians to access dignified and fulfilling work. The numbers reached represent real lives transformed and stronger communities,” Ms Fynn said.

She also praised the Start Them Early Program (STEP), which enabled secondary school students and their families to establish over 5,900 homegrown agribusiness ventures.

Past participants of the programme shared their experiences. Olumide Garuba from Lagos State said I-Youth helped him formalise his agribusiness and employ other youths, while Mariam Abass from Kaduna State described how the project empowered her to overcome gender barriers, rebuild her poultry business, and support other women in her community.

Panel discussions at the event focused on inclusive agribusiness and scaling youth enterprises, stressing the need for improved access to finance, stronger market linkages, and sustained post-training support, particularly for women and persons with disabilities.

Lessons from I-Youth’s implementation in five Nigerian states are now informing similar initiatives in Sierra Leone and Liberia, indicating the project’s growing influence across West Africa.

As Phase I concludes, stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining and expanding the successful elements of the I-Youth model.