MORE IJEBU YOUTHS EMBRACE AGRIC

Ijebu Development Initiative on Poverty Reduction is further energising its Youth Empowerment Committee (YEC) to further fulfil its mandate of identifying skills that will eventually benefit them in the scheme of things. Such programmes amongst others include Career Talks, Skill Acquisition, Counselling, Linkages and Browsing.

To this end a three-man panel consisting of Dr. Bola Aromiwura as Chairman, Mr Marcus Adeniyi, (IDIPR GM) AND Mr. Alausa Olanrewaju (Admin Officer) as members, was given the assignment to come up with a Action Plan of Youth Development Programmes.

Meanwhile a Youth Consultative Forum attended by 27 Youths made up of graduates, undergraduates, artisans, secondary school leaves and students from the six Ijebu area of Ogun State, consisting of Ijebu-Ode, Oke-Ako, Ago Iwoye, Ilodo, Ilusin and Odogbolu recently concluded that a Need Assessment Programme was needed to guide the Youths in shaping their future endeavours.

With the assistance of Mrs Mojisola Akinsanya, Executive Director, Women for Peace and Gender Initiative (WOPEGEE) it was possible to identify the interest of the various Youths in subjects such as leadership Skills, Facilitation Skill, Conflict Management Skills, Entrepreneurship Skills, Interpersonal  Skills, Resource Mobilisation, Basic Business Accounting Skills. Other areas include Marketing,  Business Expansion, Branding, Conducting Business in English Language, Preparation of Curriculum Vitae, Time Management, Networking with Employers/business partners, internally Generated Revenue and the use of Microsoft Packages.

The survey showed that 97.7 percent of the Youths showed interest in Agriculture, ICT, Craftsmanship and business ventures.

Overall the survey concluded as follow that:

1. Majority of the Youths in the study area are unemployed and are willing to undertake employment opportunities in agriculture, ICT, craftsmanship and business ventures.
2. Most of the youths were well educated and had the required skills needed towork on contracts and/grow their own businesses.
3. Almost half of the youths preferred agriculture as a chosen profession followed by ICT. Livestock is also the subsector that highest proportion of the youths preferred in agriculture followed by fishery and food crop production subsectors.
4. It could also be concluded that the youths would venture into agriculture related enterprises because they are good sources of income, in their desire to be self-employed and high unemployment rate among, other reasons.
5. Economic and infrastructural factors were identified as the most important constraints to youth involvement in agriculture.
6. It could also be concluded that connection between business and passion, need to be one’s boss and earn more money were among the motivators for youths’ involvement in ICT, craftsmanship and business ventures in the study area.

Recommendations Based on the Findings of the Need Assessment Survey

1. Government and non-governmental agencies should provide the youths with employment opportunities that match their skills and educational qualifications. This calls for development agencies especially those interested in youth development within the study area to harness available local resources.
2. Investment in agriculture and ICT ventures should be prioritized as programmes for the youths in the study area.
3. Needed resources such as capital and land should also be provided to the youths. In a bid to provide the needed resources, government and NGOs should focus on provision of production input at subsidized rates, access to credit facilities, agricultural insurance schemes, production of information, transportation, storage and processing facilities.
4. Youths should also be sensitized and trained in craftsmanship. Also, youths should be encouraged to take up a combination of income generating activities.
5. Aside from providing finances for the youths, agricultural training, extension services and linkages, modern equipment and farm settlements should be provided for youths that are interested in agriculture related ventures.