The Federal Government has launched the Youth Agribusiness Land Trust Fund (YALTF) in Abuja to grant millions of young Nigerians unhindered access to arable land and technical training across the agricultural value chain. 

This initiative addresses archaic land ownership and poor coordination that hinder youth interest and commercial investment in agriculture. Partnering with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the administration aims to transition young people from subsistence farming to high-yield, tech-driven agribusiness.

Speaking at the national launching ceremony, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, commended the scheme as an essential economic catalyst. 

He argued that modern agriculture must be treated as an organised business sector capable of creating millions of jobs, driving digital innovation, and strengthening the gross domestic product. 

Drawing cross-border parallels, Bagudu explained that international success stories, such as the Netherlands, prove that elite agricultural output is determined not by sheer land size, but by institutional organisation, advanced skills, and technology adoption.

The Minister further stressed that navigating the complexities of land administration requires an aggressive, whole-of-federation approach that unites federal, state, and local governments. To smoothly support these planning efforts, the government is utilising the Renewed Hope Ward-Based Development Programme as its primary analytical tool to map out idle land availability and pinpoint regional processing opportunities. 

Bagudu noted that public resources alone cannot finance this transformation, calling heavily on private sector financiers to invest in these emerging rural trade ecosystems.

Detailing the foundational logistics of the project, the Minister of Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande, stated that the initiative is an authentic shift away from empty policy rhetoric toward practical, measurable youth empowerment. 

Olawande disclosed that the operational model was inspired by his extensive field assessment visits to various National Youth Development Centres, where he discovered massive tracts of underutilised land. 

Consequently, the ministry is opening up the land assets within all 42 of its national centres across the federation, turning them into fully operational agribusiness innovation hubs.

The three-year strategic roadmap is designed to train six million young Nigerians, incubate hundreds of thousands of youth-led startups, and establish reliable market linkages. 

Minister Olawande maintained that simple land allocation is completely ineffective if it is not heavily reinforced with formal capital access, agronomic mentorship, smart technology transfer, and secure trade partnerships. 

He concluded by urging banks and development organisations to actively back the trust framework, reinforcing the narrative that empowering the youth demographic remains central to securing Nigeria’s long-term food sovereignty.

Source: The Nation Online
Image Credit: Minister of Budget & Economic Planning PR