DR GOODLUCK JONATHAN TO TACKLE UNEMPLOYMENT THROUGH AGRICULTURE IN 2014 “To sustain Nigeria’s ongoing agricultural transformation, we have planned further investments in the sector. We will provide input subsidies to five million farmers nationwide using the e-wallet system. “This administration recently launched a self-employment initiative under the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), called the Nagropreneur programme. This scheme would encourage our youths to go into commercial agriculture as entrepreneurs and we plan to develop over 750,000 young Nagropreneurs by 2015,” he said. He equally promised new agro-industrial clusters to complement the staple crop processing zones being developed across the country. The president stressed that in 2014, his administration would continue to work with the private sector to improve financing in the agricultural sector. In this wise, he disclosed that Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) which would serve as a private equity fund to invest in agri-businesses across the country would be launched. “Our Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) will be the bedrock of Nigeria’s industrialisation. We have about 17 million registered SMEs, and they employ over 32 million Nigerians. When our SMEs grow, more jobs will be created for our youth. Therefore, in 2014, this administration will focus strongly on implementing the Nigeria Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) to address the needs of small businesses. “Our interventions will include helping SMEs with access to affordable finance, business development services, and youth training. In addition, our new CET policies will enable us to support our emerging industries. “We will also intensify our investment promotion efforts abroad, to ensure we bring the biggest and best companies from around the world to invest in Nigeria,” he said.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 06:35:34 +0000
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