The IITA Agripreneur initiative is a youth in agribusiness model that was established to address the issue of widespread youth unemployment and to provide a platform that propels youth toward self-employment in agriculture. The issue of unemployment is a major issue among African countries because their youth, who constitute the largest population segment, feel marginalized from the economic mainstream and despite their best efforts find little means to meet their expectations for a better life. Nor are they contributing in a meaningful way to the development of their country’s economy.

Higher education has grown faster than the economies they were intended to support causing large numbers of recent graduates unable to find decent employment. At the same time, there is a mismatch between graduate skill sets and those sought by employers, and youth with strong technical and innovation skills lack the necessary business acumen to become self-employed. University graduates unable to find white-collar employment become demoralized as they return to their rural home areas or undertake menial jobs, and too often assume dangerous lifestyles. Pathways out of this dilemma were greatly needed.

IITA devised one such innovative solution. It gathered youth at its headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria in August 2012 and established a pioneering agribusiness incubation. Forty youth were selected from intern applicants from the National Youth Service Corps Scheme, and rather than assign them to different IITA departments they were provided a common work-space and asked to develop enterprises built upon proven IITA agricultural technologies. They were offered some basic coaching, but mostly they were left to themselves to implement pilot agribusiness enterprises.

Training and mentorship further alerted them to business opportunities along several agricultural value chains. They were uncertain how to move forward at first, and some members abandoned the group, but those remaining were provided technical expertise as needed and access to IITA farm resources, and then one after another learning enterprise was established. Within a year, the youth were managing several enterprises built around cassava, maize, soybean, banana, vegetables, fish and swine. They also identified opportunities in value addition and ventured into the food processing.

Development interests deservedly started to take note of this success and provided some additional modest support for their expansion.

By this time the group were known as Agripreneurs, and this support allowed them to formalize their operations and to expand into new parts of Nigeria. It established incubation centers in Kano, Abuja, Borno, Imo and Onne. These new groups replicated some enterprises and ventured into new ones including sorghum, soybean, poultry and animal fattening. IITA staff from Central, East and Southern Africa took note of their achievement and helped start even more groups in DR Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) also started to partner with the public and private sector to offer training and consultancy services to youth and farmers. And thus a movement was born.

Through the organization’s incubation program, unemployed graduate are trained, mentored and coached for 18 months and exposed to the business opportunity in the production and value addition of commodities like cassava, maize, soybean, vegetable, plantain and banana, fishery and piggery. During this incubation period, they are taught on how to adopt the best technology in deriving the good yields, marketing strategy etc that can differentiate them among other competitors in the market.  Their mindset is changed towards ensuring that they embrace agriculture as business and also an avenue to create jobs and employ other unemployed youth.

After the 18 months incubation program, the youth develop bankable business plans along the value chain listed above or agribusiness of interest to enable them access loans in commercial banks to establish their independent agribusiness enterprises. Many youths who were trained under this platform have become CEOs of reputable agribusiness firms from Central, East and Southern Africa took note of their achievement and helped start even more groups in DR Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) also started to partner with the public and private sector to offer training and consultancy services to youth and farmers. And thus a movement was born.

Through the organization’s incubation program, unemployed graduate are trained, mentored and coached for 18 months and exposed to the business opportunity in the production and value addition of commodities like cassava, maize, soybean, vegetable, plantain and banana, fishery and piggery. During this incubation period, they are taught on how to adopt the best technology in deriving the good yields, marketing strategy etc that can differentiate them among other competitors in the market.  Their mindset is changed towards ensuring that they embrace agriculture as business and also an avenue to create jobs and employ other unemployed youth.

After the 18 months incubation program, the youth develop bankable business plans along the value chain listed above or agribusiness of interest to enable them access loans in commercial banks to establish their independent agribusiness enterprises. Many youths who were trained under this platform have become CEOs of reputable agribusiness firms.

For more information on requirements of becoming a member of IITA Youth Agripreneur, click on

Requirements for youth Agripreneurs