Kaduna state in partnership with Master Card is set to float an agricultural projects that will employ three million Kaduna youths in the next couple of months, Governor Nasir el-Rufai has said.
Addressing the 30th anniversary of Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN) in Kaduna on Monday, Governor el-Rufai said agriculture remains the best option to achieve massive youth employment by getting millions of youths out of the job market, adding that Kaduna state government is also setting aside a lot of land for agriculture, which would be allocated to the youths.
El-Rufai who was represented at the occasion by the Commissioner of Agriculture, Alhaji Ibrahim Hussain, also commended the Maize Association and the Central Bank of Nigeria for choosing Kaduna to unveil the maize pyramid, which is set for commissioning by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday.
“We have a lot of graduates that have not been employed and there is potential for them to be employed in agriculture. The government of Kaduna state is setting aside a lot of land for agriculture and is going to be allocated to the youths.
“We are in partnership with many firms locally and internationally and we are involved in implementing a number of projects, national and international. Projects with World Bank and so many other partners, so through this interventions, we intend to ensure that the youths are gainfully employed in agriculture,
“There is one particular projects with Master Card that we are targeting about 3 million, for that project alone, we are targeting about three million youths and we hope in the next couple of months, the project will be on and running,” El-Rufai.
President Maize Association of Nigeria, Dr. Bello Annur, said at 30, the Association was redirecting the focus of the maize farmers and introducing modern farming methods and technology to the farmers.
