The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) has trained youths in Ebonyi State on digital agricultural marketing to boost their skills and expand access to farm markets.
The State Programme Coordinator of IFAD-VCDP, Mr Sunday Ituma, described the training as a major opportunity to empower young people with digital marketing skills for agriculture.
Mr Ituma, represented by the programme’s Agricultural Production Officer, Mr Darlington Onele, said IFAD-VCDP remains committed to improving the lives of youths through practical training.
He added that equipping young people with digital knowledge remains one of the programme’s key priorities.
He urged participants to treat their selection as a privilege. He encouraged them to pay close attention to their instructors and learn the skills needed to succeed in digital agricultural marketing.
Experts seek wider digital adoption
A Resource Person and Management Information System Officer, Dr Victor Chukwu, said the training focused on digital literacy and the use of electronic agricultural marketing systems.
Chukwu, a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Management and Extension at Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, praised the IFAD-VCDP initiative.
He described it as a welcome step that supports the agricultural efforts of Governor Francis Nwifuru.
He said the state government’s prompt payment of counterpart funds made the programme possible.
He also urged stakeholders to ensure participants apply the skills to modernise agricultural marketing across Ebonyi.
Chukwu noted that Ebonyi remains one of Nigeria’s leading farming states, producing rice, yam, cassava, potato and other crops.
He said farmers should market these products beyond the state and Nigeria through efficient digital platforms.
Participants learn online business skills.
The IFAD-VCDP Business and Marketing Development Officer, Mr Okoro Agwu, trained participants on how to explore agricultural business opportunities through social media.
In response, one of the participants, Miss Isabela Odah, thanked IFAD-VCDP for the opportunity. She pledged to apply the knowledge gained during the training.
External Links
IFAD Nigeria programme
IFAD Value Chain Development Programme
Ebonyi State Government
