The Bauchi State Government has inaugurated a seven-member committee to oversee the screening and distribution of starter packs and grants to 1,250 youths and women trained under its Innovative and Integrated Agricultural Value Chain and Agribusiness Programme.

Speaking during the inauguration, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Ilyasu Gital, said the initiative underscored Governor Bala Mohammed’s commitment to empowering youths and women through agriculture while promoting food security and economic development.

He said, “This event is yet another clear demonstration of the Governor of Bauchi State’s unwavering commitment to sustainable youth and women empowerment through agriculture.”

Gital explained that the beneficiaries, who underwent training in 2025 at the International Skill Acquisition Centre, CSS Farms, along the Keffi-Abuja Expressway in Nasarawa State, would receive starter packs and grants to establish agribusiness ventures.

According to him, the programme builds on the success of an earlier intervention that trained and supported 1,000 youths and women, many of whom had become entrepreneurs across different agricultural value chains.

“The overarching aim of the starter pack and grant support is to ensure that beneficiaries can effectively apply the skills acquired during training to establish viable ventures, become self-reliant, and generate employment in their communities,” he said.

The commissioner added that Governor Bala Mohammed has approved an enhanced support package in response to prevailing economic realities to ensure beneficiaries derive maximum benefit from the programme.

He described the intervention as more than financial assistance, saying it represented “a strategic investment in human capital and rural development across the 20 Local Government Areas of Bauchi State.”

According to Gital, “By equipping youth and women with practical agribusiness skills and supporting them with starter packs and grants, this administration is building a new generation of modern farmers, processors, and agripreneurs who will drive value addition, market linkages, and innovation in our agricultural value chains,” Gital added.

The commissioner said the committee would ensure transparency and accountability throughout the disbursement process by screening beneficiaries and supervising payments at the local government level, where recipients would collect their cheques in person.

He named the committee members to include: the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Ibrahim Yusha’u, as Chairman; Director of Agricultural Services, Babaji Maijamaa; Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Ibrahim Ishaku; representatives of the Accountant-General and Auditor-General of Bauchi State; Training Officer, Yusuf Madiya; and Director of Administration and Human Resources, Shehu Yakubu, who will serve as Secretary.

Gital disclosed that the committee’s terms of reference include: verifying the 1,250 trainees, sorting beneficiaries according to their local government areas, conducting payments across the 20 LGAs, ensuring beneficiaries appear in person to receive their cheques, co-opting additional persons where necessary, and submitting a comprehensive report after the exercise.

While addressing the committee members, he urged them to discharge their responsibilities with integrity and professionalism.

“You are expected to work with utmost diligence, fairness, and professionalism, ensuring that every legitimate beneficiary is identified, verified, and supported, without discrimination or undue favour. Let transparency be your guiding principle,” he said.

The commissioner assured the committee of the ministry’s support through logistics, data provision, and monitoring frameworks, while urging members to collaborate with local government authorities, security agencies, and community leaders to ensure a smooth exercise.

Responding on behalf of the committee, its Chairman and Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ibrahim Yusha’u, thanked the commissioner and Governor Bala Mohammed for the confidence reposed in them.

“We fully recognise the importance of this assignment, not only in terms of the substantial resources involved, but more importantly in the lives and livelihoods of the beneficiaries who are counting on this support to launch or expand their agribusiness ventures,” Yusha’u said.

He pledged that the committee would carry out its assignment with integrity, transparency, and professionalism, ensuring that all beneficiaries were properly verified and that payments were made according to the approved guidelines.

“We shall document our processes and outcomes carefully and submit a comprehensive report at the end of the exercise, reflecting the level of compliance, impact, and lessons learned for future interventions,” he assured.