Dr Keneilwe Sebego, Director-General of North-West Province of South Africa, on Monday expressed her government’s readiness to share its youth engagement in agriculture experiences with the Lagos State Government.
Sebego told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that she and members of her delegation had met with some Lagos State Government authorities ahead of the planned agricultural knowledge transfer.
The director-general said that her government was particularly being attracted by the Lagos State government’s intention to develop the youth in the state in different agricultural practices.
Sebego said: “We are in Lagos to explore the possibilities of collaborating with the Lagos State Government in the areas of agriculture, culture and tourism development.
“We are particularly attracted to the intention of the Lagos State government to develop the youth in state in different areas of agriculture.
“We do have a similar programme of youth engagement in small and large scale farming in the North-West Province of South Africa.
“And so, we think there could be a lot of lessons for us to share with the Lagos State government.’’
Sebego also said that her South African Province would also want to collaborate with the Lagos State government in agro-processing, agriculture projects for export and imports and other areas.
The director-general also said that her government had developed a training programme and incentives to encourage more young people in agriculture.
She also said that the constitution of young people into different farm cooperatives had stimulated the young farmers, as well as boosted food production across the province.
Sebego said that due to the engagement of the youth, the Province currently had 22.4 per cent share in agriculture and had become known as “the Texas of Africa’’ for her high beef production.
She said: “We are now in negotiations with other countries that are interested in grains from the North-West Province.
“And we are happy to say that the production of grains has today become one of our strengths.’’
Sebego commended the Consul-General of the South African High Commission in Lagos, Darkey Africa for having the interest and development of Lagos State youths at heart.
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