AfDB, Nigeria and IITA launch $170m youth scheme for food security and income

A $170 million food security and income scheme for the youth of Nigeria has been launched in Abuja, Nigeria.

The scheme, the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase 1 (ATASP-1), a joint programme by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) of Nigeria, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) was launched March 6, 2015, a press release from IITA says.

According to the release, the AfDB is providing the $170 million finacing for the scheme which aims at creating additional incomes to an increased number of producers and entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector in Nigeria by providing about 120,000 jobs along the value chain of priority commodities.

“An additional 20 million tons of key commodity food crops including cassava, rice, and sorghum will be added to the domestic food supply each year,” it adds.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi