Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The federal government has called for stronger collaboration with Heifer International and other development partners to accelerate youth-led agricultural innovation and strengthen Nigeria’s food security.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, made the call at the grand finale of the fifth edition of the Agriculture, Youth and Technology (AYuTe) Challenge in Abuja.
Abdullahi said the government alone could not transform the agricultural sector, stressing that partnerships with organisations such as Heifer International were critical to nurturing innovative young entrepreneurs and scaling technology-driven farming solutions.
“We recognise that the government alone cannot do this. We need ecosystem builders like Heifer International to continue providing the platforms, funding and mentorship that bridge the gap between brilliant ideas and market-ready solutions,” the minister said.
He added that the federal government was implementing policies to remove barriers preventing young Nigerians from venturing into agriculture.
According to him, the government is facilitating access to land, affordable credit and modern farming inputs while building partnerships that will ensure innovations developed through competitions such as the AYuTe Challenge are deployed on farms across the country.
The minister described food security as a national priority under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying Nigeria must move beyond subsistence farming to technology-driven commercial agriculture.
“As a nation, we are at a critical junction where traditional farming methods alone can no longer meet the demands of our rapidly growing population. We must transition from subsistence farming to technology-driven, high-yield commercial agriculture,” Abdullahi said.
The minister revealed that more than 2,000 innovations were submitted for this year’s AYuTe Challenge, describing the top five finalists as the new face of Nigerian agriculture.
He added that while the competition’s grant would support the winners financially, the mentorship and exposure offered through the programme would have a more lasting impact on their businesses.
Also speaking, the Country Director of Heifer International Nigeria, Dr Lekan Tobe, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to attracting more young Nigerians into agriculture through technology and innovation.
According to him, the AYuTe Challenge was established to make agriculture attractive to young people by promoting digital solutions rather than traditional farming methods.
He said the competition had produced successful agribusinesses, including Ninsey Agro, Essential Africa, Scratops and Superfarm Market, whose founders had expanded their businesses beyond Nigeria.
Tobe disclosed that winners of this year’s competition would receive prizes worth $43,000, with the overall winner taking home $20,000, the first runner-up $15,000, and the second runner-up $8,000.
He explained that beneficiaries would also receive post-competition mentorship, coaching, business development support and access to investors to help commercialise their innovations.
For his part, Communications Manager of Heifer Nigeria, Chuba Ezeigwe, said the Ayute Africa Challenge Nigeria was established to support agritech start-ups and is currently being implemented in nine African countries.
He said the initiative provides annual grants of up to $40,000 for promising Nigerian agribusinesses, while the regional Ayute NextGen programme offers up to $1 million to help growth-stage agritech companies scale.
Ezeigwe explained that between 2,000 and 3,000 applications are received annually and screened down to the top five finalists who compete for the grants.
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