Shared thinking and team work – a fresh start

To enhance our activities in Nigeria and ensure the effectiveness of YPARD in the country - especially as it relates to achieving our strategic objectives of mobilizing more members and stakeholders and build youth's capacities - a call for application was made in December 2013 for Young Professionals to be part of the National Working Group for YPARD Nigeria.

We are thus delighted to inform you that, after a thorough selection process, four Young Professionals were selected to join forces with the Country Representative through shared thinking and team work.

The positions announced in the call were Administrative Officer, Communication Officer, Partnership Officer and Programs Officer. The following Young Professionals expressed deep motivation and a proper understanding of the roles they have to play in assisting members of YPARD in Nigeria to make the best of the youth network.

• Uke Praise: Programs Officer
• Ezemenaka Johnbosco: Partnership Officer
• Abdulquadri Omotola: Communication and Awareness Officer
• Lebile Atinuke: Administrative Officer

It is interesting to note that each member of this National Working Group are very passionate about agriculture and they have a thorough understanding of the role Youth has to play especially in a country like Nigeria where more than ever before, attention is being given to agriculture as a business and not just as a development program. The team members come with a wealth of experience having served in other related Youth organisations. For example Uke Praise joins us from the International Association of Agricultural Students and Related Science (IAAS) where he was International Vice President. Johnbosco also is currently in charge of marketing at the IITA Youth Agripreneur (IYA) Program. Thus we have a good mix of minds and energetic team

Expectations...

In 2014 and the coming year, the YPARD Nigeria team will focus on not just getting more members to join the over 550 current members, but also on building the capacity of the ones we have, through meetings, trainings and workshops that will be hold at local level through Local Representatives. Agro tourism would also be explored as a means to give members the opportunity to see firsthand agricultural practices and methods that are worth imitating,

What more, work will be done in building partnership with relevant stakeholders and fellow youth organisation and networks. We are extremely happy to be taking this fresh steps in strengthening our activities at country level and we do hope to get the continuing support of the Global Coordinating Unit, the Regional Office and of course our ever active members from Nigeria. The National Working Group is open to suggestions and partnership opportunity. Kindly drop off an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

It is our strong belief that this team will do it best in taking YPARD in Nigeria to the next level with quality programs, activities and interactions.

Photo Credit -Jeremy Schmidt/Bucksketball.com