Increased federal revenue, synergy boost drive farm expansion, youth jobs in Jigawa
Increased revenue support from the centre and policy alignment with the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu are driving a wave of investments in agriculture, youth employment and local manufacturing in
Increased revenue support from the centre and policy alignment with the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu are driving a wave of investments in agriculture, youth employment and local manufacturing in Jigawa State, officials said during the state leg of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors’ nationwide media tour.
The State Commissioner for the Ministry of Information, Youth, Sports, and Culture, Sagir Musa Ahmed, linked improved fiscal inflows to the scale of ongoing interventions, pointing to concrete outcomes in skills training, farm productivity and small-scale industrial output.
At the fabrication workshop and painting bay of Renewed Hope Technical Services Ltd. in Dutse on Saturday, the Director-General of the Economic Empowerment and Youth Employment Agency, Dr. Habib Muhammad Ubale, said the facility combines industrial production with workforce development.
The centre produces a range of equipment, including hospital beds, bunk beds for schools, traffic lights and prefabricated “water cabins” — solar-powered modular housing units designed for emergencies such as flooding.
Ubale said the workshop is also a training hub, equipping young people with skills such as pipeline and offshore welding to prepare them for employment in oil and gas and related sectors.
According to him, the model serves three purposes: training youths, meeting local demand for equipment and generating income through product sales.
He added that the facility is attracting regional interest, disclosing that about 30 trainees are expected from Liberia following recent engagements.
The centre is supported by a purpose-built hostel and recreational facilities to sustain intensive training, with most participants aged between 20 and 30.
“Engaging young people productively is key. If they are not engaged, the consequences can be different,” Ubale said, noting that trainees are kept in structured daily routines that combine learning and production.
At the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Multipurpose Skill Acquisition Centre in Limawa, Ubale said the state is scaling vocational training as part of a broader youth empowerment strategy.
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The facility offers training in 14 different trades, including ICT, automobile services, carpentry, tailoring, leatherwork, fisheries and hospitality.
According to the DG, the centre accommodates about 300 trainees at a time and is projected to graduate approximately 1,500 youths annually.
Across the State, he said, about nine similar centres are operational or nearing completion, significantly expanding training capacity.
The programme is tuition-free for indigenes, with stipends provided to support participation, he disclosed, saying, “We are not just training; we are linking skills to production".
The initiative, he said, is designed to reduce unemployment, promote self-reliance and curb insecurity by engaging young people in productive ventures.
In the agriculture sector, the state showcased one of its largest interventions, a mechanisation programme aimed at boosting productivity and farmers’ incomes.
At the Mallam Aminu Kano Triangle in Dutse, the Managing Director of the Jigawa Farm Mechanisation Service Company, Dr. Ado Nasiru, said the government had procured 300 tractors, 60 combined harvesters, 80 boom sprayers, 150 rice and 150 maize seeders, among other equipment.
The machines are being deployed through a decentralised system covering all 30 political constituencies, with two service centres in each area, bringing the total to 60 centres statewide.
Nasiru said each centre is equipped with operational facilities and supported by trained personnel, including 60 technicians and 360 machine operators, alongside an additional 60 local technicians recruited for maintenance support.
To build capacity, 30 technicians were initially trained abroad and later replicated the training locally, ensuring sustainability of the programme, he noted, adding, “All the technicians and operators have been employed on permanent and pensionable terms".
Each service centre also includes a 10-hectare demonstration farm to enable farmers to observe and adopt modern agricultural practices, he said.
According to him, the programme is supported by a digital platform that allows farmers to book mechanised services remotely, with costs expected to be subsidised to enhance accessibility.
Nasiru said the intervention is expected to significantly expand cultivation and improve yields in a state already recognised as a leading producer of hibiscus, sesame, wheat and sorghum, and one of Nigeria’s top rice producers.
In the last wet season alone, he said over 200 hectares of rice were cultivated under State-supported initiatives.
Beyond production, the mechanisation drive is also creating jobs, with hundreds of personnel engaged in operations, maintenance and logistics across the service centres, he said.
Emphasising the State government's commitment to the sustainability of the initiative, Nasiru said security measures had been built into the system, with about 310 personnel deployed across the state to protect equipment and facilities.
The Information Commissioner Ahmed, said the combined investments in skills development and agriculture are part of a coordinated effort to translate increased revenues into tangible development outcomes.
He added that the alignment between State programmes and Federal economic priorities is enabling more targeted interventions in critical sectors.
Across the sites visited, the emphasis remained on building a self-sustaining system where skills training feeds into production, and agriculture supports income generation and food security.
