Abuja: Leventis Foundation Nigeria has announced a partnership with development banks, financial institutions, and private investors to create innovative funding mechanisms aimed at supporting young farmers in starting, scaling, and sustaining their agribusinesses. Alhaji Ahmed Mantey, Chairman of the foundation, shared this initiative during the 2025 Agricultural Youth Summit in Abuja, highlighting the challenge of accessing finance faced by young agri-preneurs.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the summit, organized in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), focused on the theme ‘Building Youth and Agripreneurs’ Resilience for Agribusiness Through Targeted Up-scaling and Innovative Agri-Finance Mechanisms’. Mantey emphasized the importance of creating an environment where finance, technology, and policy converge to drive youth-led agricultural transformation. He stressed the need for continued investment in Nigeria’s youth, describing them as the nation’s greatest assets and a renewable resource.
Mantey noted the foundation’s commitment to equipping youths with practical farm skills along with entrepreneurial and managerial competencies to make them competitive in today’s economy. He announced a recently signed MoU with the Abuja Enterprise Agency to provide business development services to agricultural trainees and alumni. Over 31,000 youths and farmers have been empowered through the foundation’s training schools across Nigeria.
Dr. Hope Usieta, Executive Director of the foundation, pointed out the ongoing training of youths in agriculture and agribusiness through six training centers. Despite these efforts, he identified access to agri-finance for smallholder farmers and their preparedness to manage funds as ongoing challenges. Dr. Abe Dankaro, representing the Director-General of NYSC, highlighted the dual challenge of youth unemployment and food security, noting the potential of agribusiness as a transformative sector needing young minds.
The foundation and NYSC’s partnership since 2021 has been impactful, offering corps members exposure to modern agricultural training and agribusiness development programs across Nigeria.