The Bauchi State Government has disbursed a total of N625 million in start-up grants to 1,250 youths who recently completed the Agricultural Skills Development Programme as part of efforts to enhance agricultural productivity, create jobs, and promote youth entrepreneurship.
The beneficiaries underwent a two-week intensive training at the International Skills Acquisition Centre (ISAC), CSS Farms, Gora, Nasarawa State, where they acquired practical skills in fisheries, poultry, livestock production, animal feed formulation, crop farming and agribusiness.
Speaking during the presentation of the grants on Tuesday in Bununu, the headquarters of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed announced that each beneficiary would receive N500,000 to establish an agribusiness enterprise.
The governor recalled that in 2021, his administration sponsored 1,000 youths and women from the state’s 20 local government areas to undergo similar agricultural training at the same institution.
According to him, the government fully funded the programme, covering tuition, transportation, accommodation, feeding and other logistics to ensure participants gained both theoretical knowledge and practical experience.
“Upon completion of the programme, each participant received a start-up package valued at about N450,000 to establish their agribusiness,” Mohammed said.
“We are proud of the remarkable achievements recorded by many of the beneficiaries. Several have established successful poultry, fishery and crop production businesses, while others have ventured into agricultural processing and value addition.”
He noted that many of the earlier beneficiaries have become employers of labour and role models within their communities, demonstrating that agriculture remains a viable pathway to economic prosperity.
Governor Mohammed said the success of the first phase informed the expansion of the programme in 2025, with another 1,250 youths and women selected for training.
“I am delighted to announce the commencement of payment of N500,000 start-up grants to each of the 1,250 beneficiaries,” he said.
“This intervention is not an act of charity. It is an investment in productivity, enterprise development, employment generation and the future prosperity of Bauchi State.”
The governor urged the beneficiaries to invest the funds prudently by establishing sustainable agricultural businesses capable of creating employment opportunities and contributing to food security.
He warned against diverting the grants for personal or non-business purposes.
“You must not use this money to marry wives. That is not the purpose,” he cautioned.
He directed the Ministry of Agriculture to closely monitor the utilisation of the grants, warning that any beneficiary found misusing the funds would face appropriate sanctions.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the state government, describing the initiative as a life-changing opportunity.
One of the beneficiaries, Yusuf Alkasim, who specialised in fisheries, said he had already established fish ponds within his family compound and intends to use the grant to expand the business and employ more young people.
Another beneficiary, Mustapha Abdullahi, trained in animal feed production, said the grant would enable him to establish a feed production factory to supply quality livestock feed to farmers across the state.
They commended the government for providing them with the resources needed to become self-reliant and job creators rather than job seekers.