The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammadu Dingyadi, has called for stronger agricultural value chains to create more jobs and promote sustainable employment in Nigeria.
Dingyadi made the call at the 14th Meeting of the National Employment Council (NEC) in Abuja,
The meeting is themed: “Improving Sectoral Value Chains in the Agricultural Sector for Employment Creation in Nigeria”.
He said agriculture remained a major source of livelihood for millions of Nigerians, particularly in rural communities, but its potential for job creation could be improved by strengthening the entire value chain.
“Our approach must therefore extend beyond agricultural production to encompass input supply, mechanisation, harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, transportation, among others,” he said.
The minister said the focus should not be limited to increasing agricultural production but should also include making the sector more productive and attractive to investors.
“The challenge before us is not simply how to increase agricultural production, but how to transform agriculture into a more productive, commercially viable and employment-intensive sector,” he said.
He warned that poor storage and limited market access could lead to food losses and low earnings for farmers.
The minister called for more investment in food processing, agribusiness, finance and technology to create jobs.
“Strengthening small and medium-scale agro-processing enterprises, encouraging private-sector investment, improving access to finance and technology, and developing effective market linkages will create opportunities for enterprises to expand and employ more Nigerians,” he said.
On skills development, the minister said modern agriculture required technical, entrepreneurial and digital skills in areas such as mechanised farming, irrigation, food processing, agricultural technology, logistics and supply-chain management.
“Our skills development institutions and relevant training agencies must therefore work closely with agricultural stakeholders to ensure that training programmes respond to actual labour market demands and emerging opportunities across agricultural value chains,” he said.
He called for deliberate efforts to increase the participation of young people and women in the sector.
“Young people should be encouraged to view agriculture not merely as subsistence farming but as a viable business and employment opportunity,” he said.
Dingyadi called for better support for women in agriculture, saying that the meeting would review two documents to guide the implementation of the National Employment Policy and promote inclusive employment programmes for women and vulnerable groups.
Dingyadi recalled that the council’s 13th meeting focused on strengthening the Labour Market Information System (LMIS), adding that a Technical Working Group had met to discuss the implementation of the data-sharing agreement.
