A prominent son of Arondizuogu, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, has entered into a strategic partnership with South African agricultural company, Agricrowdy, to train and empower 65 youths across Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State in modern farming and agribusiness.
The initiative, which is already underway, is aimed at equipping young people in the area with practical skills across the agricultural value chain while providing them with guaranteed access to markets for their produce.
As part of arrangements to kick-start the programme, a team of agricultural experts from Agricrowdy has arrived in Nigeria to conduct preliminary assessments and technical planning across communities within Ideato North. The specialists are expected to carry out scientific studies of soil composition and environmental conditions in the area to determine the most suitable crops and livestock ventures for participating youths.
Ngoforo, who is known for his advocacy for youth development, said the soil analysis would guide the selection of crops best suited to different parts of the local government, ensuring that farming systems adopted by participants are both profitable and sustainable.
Beyond the soil assessments, selected youths will undergo intensive training in modern high-yield agricultural techniques, covering crop cultivation, livestock management, agribusiness planning, and the application of improved farming technologies.
A key feature of the programme is a built-in market guarantee. Under the partnership agreement, Agricrowdy will serve as an off-taker for all farm produce generated by the trained participants, addressing one of the most persistent challenges that discourages young Nigerians from pursuing agriculture as a career.
According to the guidelines for the programme made available to newsmen, the 65 beneficiaries were carefully selected from across the various communities that make up Ideato North, with deliberate attention paid to ensuring that the spread reflects the geographic and demographic diversity of the local government area. Priority was given to unemployed graduates and school leavers who have shown interest in agriculture but lacked the resources and technical knowledge to venture into it.
Ngoforo, it was further learnt, has also been engaging relevant government agencies and agricultural institutions at the national and state levels to explore possibilities of integrating the initiative into broader existing frameworks for agricultural development in Imo State, a move that could greatly enhance the programme’s reach and long-term impact beyond the initial set of beneficiaries.
Agricultural experts believe that an initiative of this nature is expected to stimulate rural economic growth and curb youth unemployment in Ideato North, just as Mazi Bennett Offor, a leader in Arondizuogu, described Ngoforo’s collaboration with the South African firm as a significant step toward repositioning agriculture as a viable and attractive livelihood option for young people in the area. Many within Ideato have expressed hope that the programme, if sustained, could serve as a replicable model for other local government areas across the state and the wider South-East geopolitical zone.
