The Managing Director of the Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority (AIRBDA), Rt. Hon. Barr. Anthony Emeka Nduka, has charged graduates of the Batch 13 Nigeria Youth on Agricultural Value Chain Training Programme to translate the knowledge and practical skills acquired into viable agribusinesses that will create jobs, promote food security and contribute to economic development.
Rt. Hon. Nduka gave the charge in his keynote address at the graduation ceremony of the trainees in the South-East, organised by AIRBDA in collaboration with the Songhai Initiative and sponsored by the Mastercard Foundation.
The Managing Director, who was represented by the Executive Director, Engineering, Hon. Evaristus Asadu, described the programme as more than agricultural training, noting that it equips young people with practical skills, business knowledge and the mindset required to transform agriculture into a profitable and sustainable enterprise.
He urged the graduates to remain guided by three key principles: production with excellence, enterprise with integrity, and collaboration over competition, stressing that these values would be essential to building successful and sustainable agribusinesses.
The MD also encouraged the graduates to become multipliers by sharing the knowledge acquired with other young people, thereby extending the impact of the programme and contributing to employment creation, food production and economic development.
Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Onyejeke Pascaline, a beneficiary of the market garden section, and Kalu Ude Adaeze, from the poultry section, expressed profound gratitude to AIRBDA, the Songhai Initiative and the Mastercard Foundation for the opportunity to acquire practical skills in market gardening, fishery, poultry, rabbit farming, integrated farming, marketing and sales, among other areas of agriculture.
They described the training as meaningful and impactful, noting that it had equipped them to become better agribusiness entrepreneurs. They pledged to put the knowledge and skills acquired to productive use and, in turn, train and empower others.
Highlights of the ceremony included the presentation of certificates, starter packs containing agricultural tools and farming implements, and logistics support to enable the graduates put their newly acquired skills into practice.
Chika Anurunwa
PIPRO/ANIPR
12/08/2026
