_: Professor Ken Ife, Managing Director of Biosources and Technologies Limited, has said that only seven percent of Nigerian graduates secure jobs after graduation.
Ife, who stated this in his keynote presentation at a three-day sensitisation workshop on the Strategic Implementation of the Bio-ethanol Project held at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, said focusing attention on youth employment should be a national emergency and priority.
He pointed out that there was an urgent need to create new initiatives aimed at addressing youth unemployment in the country.
Ife, who is also the Consultant of the Cassava Bio-ethanol Value Chain Project, underscored the need to engage universities with a view to producing young bio-entrepreneurs and extension service agents for the country to boost agricultural productivity.
While explaining the economic importance of cassava, he revealed that cassava has 35:value chain derivatives.
He further noted that Nigeria produces 62million metric tonnes of cassava, adding that cassava is the highest source of bio-ethanol.
In his address, Engr. Nebeolisa Anako, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, assured that the implementation of the cassava bio-ethanol value chain project would enhance food production, increase youth employment, reduce poverty and ensure inclusive economic growth for the country.
Anako represented by Dr. Lanre Adekanye, Director, International Cooperation in the Ministry, pointed out that Nigeria, at this time, needs an approach that will increase food production, youth employment, and increased growth through the provision of industrial feedstock and exportable products to boost the economy. To achieve this laudable objective, he explained that one of the strategic pathways is the development of cassava bio-ethanol value chain in the country, adding that it has become more imperative, given the recent removal of subsidy on petroleum products, re-evaluation of the Naira through the merging of official and non-official exchange windows.
According to him,”One of the aspirations of the Federal Government is to bring about higher Gross Domestic Product(GDP) growth and to significantly reduce unemployment by creating meaningful opportunities for the youth.
“Thus, the Bio-economy Policy aims at promoting sustainable economic growth and development by creating a Bio-based economy that will contribute to the job creation, poverty reduction, and increased access to food and energy.
“This will be achieved through the development of the cassava Bio-economy, as well as other Bio-resources.
“Development of the Bioeconomy value chain is a veritable pathway to assuage the economic impacts on citizens and for sustained development.”
It would be recalled that bio-economy is the knowledge-based production and use of molecular biology of plant and animal origin and processes to create a wide range of products and services across all sectors of the economy.
The Permanent Secretary further explained that the essence of the three-day sensitisation workshop for the North-Central Region was to develop the modalities for the implementation of the Bio-ethanol project as well as identify the key stakeholders required for the implementation of the entire value chain.
Anako noted that the implementation of the Bio-economy Policy would employ a Triple-Helix Knowledge Transfer Partnership which would include the Academia, Research and Development Institutes,Farmers, the Private Sector and Government MDAs as well as the Civil Society, Development Partners and Development Finance Institutions.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Prof. Suleiman Mohammed, said the North Central Region has a rich agricultural heritage, adding that cassava stands as one of the most vital and versatile crops to unlock opportunities, create jobs and foster inclusive growth.
Mohammed stated that in the face of global challenges posed by climate change and increasing demand for sustainable energy solutions, cassava bio-ethanol presents a unique opportunity to significantly reduce the carbon footprint and foster greener future.
Also speaking, Prof. Olumuyiwa Jayeoba, President of the Association of Deans of Agriculture in Nigeria(ADAN), said the Association was chosen to implement the pilot project which involves massive seed stock production and farm-level research as well as value chain development, including bio-entrepreneurship in the emerging economic development.
Jayeoba assured of the readiness of ADAN to coordinate and implement the pilot phase of the project, adding that the Association had put “a structure that allows for full implementation of the project, including bio-entrepreneurship and curriculum development.”