By: Simeon Shodimu
As unemployment and economic hardship continue to push many Nigerians to seek alternative means of livelihood, the Agriculture and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, is turning attention to women and youths as catalysts for a new wave of agribusiness development. Through intensive agripreneurship training, the institute is equipping participants from across the country with practical skills aimed at transforming agriculture from a subsistence activity into a profitable enterprise capable of creating jobs, empowering families and driving national development.
Across Nigeria, a growing number of women and youths are beginning to see agriculture not merely as farming with hoes and cutlasses, but as a business capable of generating wealth, creating employment and transforming communities.
This shift in perception formed the core of a recent agripreneurship development programme organised by the Agriculture and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Kwara State, where women involved in small-scale agriculture and agribusiness, alongside youths from across the country, underwent intensive training aimed at unlocking opportunities within the agricultural value chain.
Participants drawn from Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Borno, Benue, Kebbi, Abia, Edo, Imo, Delta and Lagos states converged on the institute for the five-day capacity-building programme designed to prepare them for profitable ventures in modern agriculture.
For ARMTI, the initiative represents more than a training exercise. It is part of a broader effort to address unemployment, improve livelihoods and encourage Nigerians to embrace agribusiness as a sustainable economic pathway.
Speaking during the programme, the Executive Director of ARMTI, Dr. Olufemi Oladunni, explained that the training was designed to make women active participants in agricultural enterprises while enabling them to contribute meaningfully to family welfare and national economic growth.
Represented by the Head of Finance and Accounts Department, Mr. Moses Ibitoye, Oladunni said the participants were also exposed to study tours of integrated farms to help them identify agricultural enterprises that align with their interests and capabilities.
The visits exposed participants to practical operations in poultry, fisheries, piggery and crop production, among others, providing them with firsthand knowledge of how agricultural enterprises are managed commercially.
The institute believes that exposure to real-life agribusiness operations would help participants move beyond theory and embrace agriculture as an enterprise capable of generating income and employment.
Head of ARMTI’s Training Department, Dr. Abdulrazaq Yahaya, noted that many graduates continue to chase scarce white-collar jobs despite the enormous opportunities available in agriculture.
According to him, the institute is deliberately working to change the mindset of young Nigerians by encouraging them to see agriculture as a profitable business rather than a last resort.
“We have observed in the past that many university and polytechnic graduates continue searching for elusive white-collar jobs after graduation. What we are trying to do is to imbibe the culture of agriculture in them and encourage a change of attitude toward agribusiness,” he said.
He stressed that the skills acquired during the programme could become a source of livelihood for participants, especially in a country grappling with rising unemployment.
Yahaya added that agriculture has evolved beyond subsistence living into a dynamic business sector with opportunities across production, processing and marketing.
For women participants, the programme carried an even deeper significance.
Head of Rural Development and Gender Issues (RUDEG) at ARMTI, Mr. Olasoye Abiodun, said empowering women through agripreneurship has a ripple effect on families and communities.
According to him, women face unique economic and social challenges that require targeted interventions to ensure they are not left behind in the nation’s agricultural transformation agenda.
“When women are empowered, families are empowered,” he said.
He explained that agripreneurship extends beyond physical farming activities and includes numerous value-chain opportunities that women can conveniently undertake from their homes.
These include fish smoking, cassava processing, plantain chips production and other forms of agro-processing capable of generating steady income.
For many of the participants, the training opened their eyes to opportunities they previously overlooked.
Mrs. Susan Folasade Samuel and Yussuf Nafisat, who spoke on behalf of some participants, said women should not be excluded from benefiting from agricultural production and agribusiness opportunities.
They expressed optimism that the knowledge gained from the training would improve their participation in agricultural development while helping them contribute to their communities and the country at large.
Beyond women empowerment, ARMTI also extended its focus to young Nigerians through a separate tuition-free agripreneurship programme for 40 selected youths from across the country.
Speaking during the closing ceremony, Dr. Oladunni said the initiative was designed to position youths for careers in agribusiness as an alternative to dependence on white-collar employment.
Represented again by Dr. Yahaya, the ARMTI boss stated that the institute would continue equipping young people with practical skills needed to unlock opportunities in the agricultural sector.
According to him, the programme was the first in a series of tuition-free agripreneurship trainings targeted at Nigerian youths who responded to the institute’s online application call.
Participants were introduced to the fundamentals of agribusiness management, while special attention was also given to the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in modern agriculture.
The inclusion of ICT, according to the institute, reflects the growing intersection between technology and agriculture, especially in areas such as digital marketing, precision farming, farm management and access to market information.
As Nigeria continues to confront unemployment, food insecurity and economic diversification challenges, institutions like ARMTI are increasingly positioning agriculture as a pathway to empowerment and national growth.
For the women and youths who passed through the programme, the training may well mark the beginning of a journey from job seekers to agribusiness entrepreneurs capable of creating value not only for themselves, but for the wider economy.
