Young agripreneurs, government officials, private‑sector leaders and development partners gathered in Abuja on 7 and 8 October for the inaugural event of the [Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture (YEFFA)](https://mastercardfdn.org/our-work/yeffa/) programme in Nigeria. The two‑day convening hosted 150 participants, of which 100 were young people, to introduce the six‑year initiative and outline its early priorities.
Key facts from the meeting include:
- YEFFA aims to place 143,000 young Nigerians, 70 % of them women, into dignified agrifood jobs across the Federal Capital Territory and the states of Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Ogun and Oyo.
- Participants identified access to finance as the single biggest obstacle, with 44 % naming it the top investment priority, followed by youth leadership and inclusion (20 %) and technology and innovation (17 %).
- When ranking interventions, mentorship and coaching topped the list, ahead of affordable financing and practical skills training.
- Senator Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, officially launched the programme and urged youths to treat agriculture as a full‑time business.
**What barriers did young agripreneurs highlight?**
Through live digital polling, the youth participants repeatedly cited lack of finance as the primary constraint on their agribusinesses. They also called for greater involvement in sector‑shaping decisions, more accessible credit with simplified applications, and stronger links to buyers, processors and aggregators.
**How will the programme be implemented?**
[AGRA](https://agra.org) Nigeria’s Country Director, Dr Rufus Idris, described YEFFA as a “programme designed by the youth, for the youth,” stressing that its impact will extend beyond direct participants. The Mastercard Foundation’s Director of Agrifood Systems for Pan‑African Programmes, Wambui Chege, noted that lessons from other African countries are being applied to Nigeria’s rollout.
**What expectations did young leaders voice?**
Baliqees Salaudeen, a 28‑year‑old agripreneur and Regional Coordinator for the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change, presented a set of demands: a youth advisory mechanism with regular access to decision‑makers; easier, collateral‑light financing paired with business support; stronger market linkages; inclusive participation of women, persons with disabilities and displaced youth; affordable digital tools; and transparent, accountable delivery.
**Which partners pledged support?**
Ayodeji Oludare Sotinrin, Managing Director and CEO of the [Bank of Agriculture](https://boa.gov.ng), highlighted that the bank financed over 500,000 farmers last year and committed to co‑creating a dedicated financing mechanism for YEFFA participants. Rosy Fynn, Country Director for Nigeria at the Mastercard Foundation, affirmed that the programme’s design directly reflects the barriers identified by the youth, from finance and market access to post‑harvest losses.
**What practical solutions were discussed?**
Over the two days, delegates explored agribusiness incubation, youth‑responsive financing, mentorship schemes and digital agriculture tools. Proposals included certified post‑harvest and aggregation hubs, patient youth‑sensitive finance and insurance products, and integrated farm‑market‑financial data platforms to lower risk for lenders and insurers.
The insights, commitments and recommendations gathered will shape YEFFA’s operational roadmap, partner consortium frameworks and rollout activities across Nigeria.