The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, W. Stuart Symington, has said any society that cannot figure out where its people can find food is a failed society.
He spoke yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, while listening to the presentation of a group of young entrepreneurs under the Enable Youth Agriculture (EYA) programme of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Through EYA, IITA has been supporting the dreams and aspirations of African youths, who are gathered under this youth group, to create an umbrella platform for the encouragement of young Africans to choose a career in agriculture.
The about 50 youths, who gathered to receive the US ambassador, were drawn from Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Congo and comprised young men and women, who graduated from diverse fields of agricultural disciplines.
The initiative, which started at the IITA headquarters in Ibadan, in August 2012, has grown, spreading its tentacles across Africa and bringing under its net vibrant, energetic, young people who are trained to become owners and co-owners of independent agribusiness enterprises.
According to the ambassador, the challenge of food production is so important for Africa and indeed the whole world to surmount that every nation must encourage its youth to go into agriculture, towards boosting food production.