A five-year, $13 million collaboration between Michigan State University and the MasterCard Foundation has been launched in Lagos to help 15,000 young people access employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the fast-growing horticulture, aquaculture, poultry, cassava and oilseed sectors in Nigeria and Tanzania.
The initiative is targeting over 10,000 Nigerians and 5,000 Tanzanians to benefit from the agro project, an indication that Nigeria will receive the lion’s share of the $13 million devoted for the project.
The partnership, the AgriFood Youth Opportunity Lab, will focus on youth ages 18 to 24 in major food shed regions surrounding Lagos and Dar es Salaam. The Ag Youth Lab will assist economically disadvantaged, hard-to-reach and out-of-school youths transition into employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the agrifood system.
MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said: “Working with the MasterCard Foundation and African partners to address one of the most critical problems facing the continent—youth unemployment—reflects how we pursue MSU’s global vision. We see great potential to expand youth agrifood employment both on and off the farm.”
More than 60 per cent of Africa’s young people are jobless or underemployed, and formal job creation efforts in Africa’s growing economies have been insufficient, according to African Economic Outlook. Comprising 20 percent of Africa’s population, Tanzania and Nigeria together represent an important opportunity for intervention in skills acquisition, job creation and employment for youth.
Meanwhile, President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation, Reeta Roy said: “This partnership with Michigan State University is an excellent example of using evidence to address youth unemployment. By engaging the private sector to develop business opportunities for young people, the project also addresses some of the challenges youths face in seeking work.”
The programme will have a special focus on gender equity, aiming for equal representation of young men and women across its programs and addressing policy, training, mentoring and other constraints that affect the ability of young women to start enterprises or obtain employment.
The Ag Youth Lab will respond directly to opportunities and constraints identified in the 2016 MSU and The MasterCard Foundation-Agrifood Youth Employment and Engagement Study (AgYees).
Source: Nigeria Today
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