By Sarah NEGEDU
Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has called for improved access to financing and modern tools to empower young agripreneurs across Nigeria, stressing that youth-driven innovation holds the key to the nation’s food security and agricultural transformation.
The minister made the call during the 2025 National School Entrepreneurship and Awards ceremony organised by Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship, SAGE, Nigeria.
A statement by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Austine Elemue, quoted the Minister as saying that beyond classroom instruction, there is an urgent need for investment in agricultural education that “effectively blends theoretical knowledge with practical enterprise,” while also ensuring that young entrepreneurs are equipped with the resources to thrive.
Mahmoud, who was represented by her Special Assistant on Technical Matters, Tpl. Michael Bawa, further advocated the creation of innovation hubs to enable youth collaboration on sustainable solutions to the country’s agricultural challenges.
Speaking on the theme “Harnessing Youth Innovation for Sustainable Agribusinesses and Food Security,” the minister urged stakeholders to match their encouragement with concrete actions that can transform youth-led ideas into scalable agribusiness solutions.
She commended SAGE Nigeria’s track record of winning the SAGE World Cup eight times in the last 12 years, stating “this success underscores the exceptional potential of Nigerian youth on the global stage.”
Mahmoud also stressed that Nigeria’s development is increasingly shaped by dynamic challenges such as climate change, rural unemployment, and population pressure, but insisted that the country can overcome these issues by leveraging the innovative energy of its youth.
While highlighting the transformative impact of technology on modern agriculture, the minister pointed to tools such as drones, mobile applications, blockchain, and artificial intelligence as critical enablers capable of making agriculture a sector of opportunity rather than a last resort.
She described the young participants as “architects of Nigeria’s future,” adding that they have the potential to turn “scarcity into abundance and dependency into sustainability.”
Mahmoud therefore called on government agencies, educators, and development partners to “believe in the power of youth innovation and to commit to building a country where no Nigerian goes hungry and every young mind finds opportunity in agriculture.”
Earlier in his remarks, the National Chairman of SAGE Nigeria, Mr. Agwu Amogu, praised the resilience of young entrepreneurs and the programme’s role in driving creativity and enterprise among secondary school students.
“Mr. President, your leadership offers hope to millions of young Nigerians. Let us work together to scale SAGE to every secondary school in Nigeria,” he stated, while calling on subnational governments to adopt hands-on entrepreneurship education as a national strategy.
Founded in 2002 at California State University, Chico, and launched in Nigeria in 2006, SAGE has grown into a global platform for youth empowerment, with operations in over 32 countries. Nigeria remains one of the top-performing nations in the initiative.
