By Sunday Ani
The federal government, in collaboration with Youths Off The Street Initiative (YOTSI), has launched the ‘YEIDEP Global Donorship Drive and Fundraising Campaign’ to raise $2.5 billion for the implementation of the ‘Cooperative Youth Farmers and Allied Entrepreneurs Programme (CYFAEP)’, a sub-scheme of the Youth Economic Intervention and De-Radicalisation Programme (YEIDEP).
YEIDEP is a national youth economic empowerment programme anchored and driven by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, in collaboration with YOTSI and several global donors and development partners.
It was formed to address critical social and economic threats facing Nigeria, especially youth unemployment, food insecurity, household poverty, youth economic exclusion, and radicalisation.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the campaign, the Coordinator-General of YEIDEP, Kennedy Iyere, stated that the programme had registered approximately six million youths and young women as members, with a goal to create and build a national grassroots network of 20 million cooperative youth farmers, food, and agro-allied entrepreneurs between 2025 and 2027.
He said this would engender drastic youth and women unemployment reduction, boost food production, ensure food security, alleviate household poverty, foster youth economic inclusion, and promote de-radicalisation.
He noted that the programme would empower youths and young women with the financial, technical, training, mentorship, and other support needed to succeed as young farmers, food, and agro-allied entrepreneurs.
Iyere added that YEIDEP had partnered with eight commercial banks, including Keystone Bank, Fidelity Bank, Lotus Bank, Union Bank, Wema Bank, Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, and Providus Bank, to receive, warehouse, and distribute funds for the programme’s implementation.
He said, “The launch of the YEIDEP global donorship drive and fundraising campaign marks a significant step towards achieving YEIDEP’s objectives, designed to address Nigeria’s key problems of chronic youth unemployment, youth and women economic exclusion, food insecurity, household poverty, youth hopelessness, and radicalisation.
“The success of the donorship drive and fundraising campaign will depend on the response and generous support of global donors, development partners, and Nigerians in general, comprising governments at the federal and state levels, private business organisations, captains of industry, business leaders, and other elites.
“YEIDEP’s goal is to empower 20 million young Nigerians, both youths and women, with direct jobs through entrepreneurship and self-employment revolution, involving key sectors like agriculture, food and beverage, agro-allied, agritech, and renewable energy, among others, thereby boosting job creation, food security, poverty reduction, economic growth, political stability, and national security in Nigeria.”
He added: “The existing necessity and urgency to tackle Nigeria’s critical threats of chronic youth unemployment, food crisis (food insecurity), household poverty, youth hopelessness, and radicalisation is the reason for YEIDEP’s formation. Unless these key social and economic problems are drastically addressed, Nigeria remains a fragile country dangerously sitting on a keg of gunpowder, as the time bomb of youth unemployment ticks daily towards a disastrous explosion, whose consequences will be more damaging than could ever be imagined. This is why YEIDEP must be embraced and supported by all Nigerians, beyond political interest and affiliation.”
