Four NYSC Members Emerge Winners of BATN Foundation Farmers for the Future Grant

Esther Akinola

Four National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have benefited from the total grant sum of ₦16.5 million in cash and technical support for emerging winners at the Farmers for the Future Grant competition organised by the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) on May 17, 2022. 

Victoria Emmanuel, the CEO of Sokvikia Enterprises, a catfish processing firm located in Kogi State, emerged as the overall winner and was awarded the prize of ₦3 million. The first runner-up prize of ₦2 million was awarded to Chidinma Ezeh, the CEO of FarmCAS, an agricultural human resources service organisation, while Paul Ugorji of Swift Fish Farm received the sum of ₦1 million for finishing third.

The winners were among the six finalists earlier selected from over 20,000 participants who registered for the competition sponsored by the BATN Foundation.

The Farmers for the Future (F4F) Grant is an agricultural entrepreneurship grant designed to support young National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who run viable agri-business, with equity-free capital and other associated support they may require to upscale their businesses.                                                                                                                                                            The Grant provides access to technical training through a rigorous Bootcamp facilitated by subject matter experts. It also provides them access to mentorship with renowned agripreneurs in their areas of interest, and finally, access to finance to upscale their agriculture enterprise.

In his opening address, the outgoing Director-General, NYSC, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, who was represented by the Director, Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Department (SAED), Alhaja Walida Isa Saddique, expressed his profound appreciation to the management of BATN Foundation for initiating the programme through which corps members are empowered with start-up capital and technical support to establish and scale their chosen agribusinesses.

He noted that the training and technical support received are in tandem with the objectives of the NYSC, which is to build the spirit of self-reliance in the Nigerian youth and encourage them to contribute their quota to the socio-economic development of the country.

Speaking further, he commended the impact the programme has made since its inception, referring to the enormous impact made by earlier winners who have successfully established their agribusinesses and are contributing to the economic development of Nigeria as well as creating jobs for other youths.

In his vote of thanks, the Ag. General Manager of BATN Foundation, Oludare Odusanya, expressed his gratitude to the Bootcamp facilitators and judges for taking out time to help prepare and select the most deserving Agripreneur, while also reiterating the Foundations commitment to ensuring the continued support of young people participating in agriculture.

British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation is an independent charitable organisation established in 2002 by the British American Tobacco Nigeria Limited, to improve the lives of people living in rural areas, with special emphasis on smallholder farmers, their families, and communities. 

Since its incorporation, the foundation has established over 200 community development projects across the 36 States of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory; promoting modern agricultural practices amongst smallholder farmers and providing the financial support needed to move them from subsistence to commercial farming.