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| Mr. Kanayo Nwanze |
In a bid to curb youth migration from rural areas in
Africa, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has
called for more investment in rural infrastructure.
This call was made by its President, Mr. Kanayo Nwanze at the ongoing IFAD 9th Annual Regional Wokshop in Abuja. Speaking at the workshop themed: “Investing in Rural Youths: how do we plant the seed for the future?” Nwanze noted that the investment in rural areas will guarantee improved standard of living and gainful employment opportunities.
“If we want young people to stay and work in rural areas, there is need to invest in infrastructure. These include investment in processing plants, electricity, warehouses, roads and ports and doing this can reduce post-harvest waste and improve access to markets,’’ Nwanze noted.
The IFAD Czar frowned at the level of unemployed youths in Africa. He noted that Africa can actually ensure that young people are gainfully employed. Therefore he proposed that Africa needs agriculture because humans had not yet been engineered to live without food.
According to him, “the continent needs young people to be farmers, food processors not just to feed themselves and their villages, but to grow food to feed cities.
“Africa will not advance and take its rightful place as a global leader unless it moves beyond the out-dated mentality of past centuries.It must offer our daughters and sons the same rights and opportunities.
“These are areas of improvement that IFAD contributes to either directly or indirectly through the projects we support or through our advocacy efforts,’’ he said.
This call was made by its President, Mr. Kanayo Nwanze at the ongoing IFAD 9th Annual Regional Wokshop in Abuja. Speaking at the workshop themed: “Investing in Rural Youths: how do we plant the seed for the future?” Nwanze noted that the investment in rural areas will guarantee improved standard of living and gainful employment opportunities.
“If we want young people to stay and work in rural areas, there is need to invest in infrastructure. These include investment in processing plants, electricity, warehouses, roads and ports and doing this can reduce post-harvest waste and improve access to markets,’’ Nwanze noted.
The IFAD Czar frowned at the level of unemployed youths in Africa. He noted that Africa can actually ensure that young people are gainfully employed. Therefore he proposed that Africa needs agriculture because humans had not yet been engineered to live without food.
According to him, “the continent needs young people to be farmers, food processors not just to feed themselves and their villages, but to grow food to feed cities.
“Africa will not advance and take its rightful place as a global leader unless it moves beyond the out-dated mentality of past centuries.It must offer our daughters and sons the same rights and opportunities.
“These are areas of improvement that IFAD contributes to either directly or indirectly through the projects we support or through our advocacy efforts,’’ he said.
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