UNDP, Olam Agri partner to strengthen youth livelihoods in Northeast Nigeria
The joint initiative focuses on equipping youth and local communities in the region with practical technical skills, enterprise support, and agricultural training to foster long-term economic resilience and recovery.
NIGERIA – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Olam Agri have partnered to strengthen the livelihoods of young people in Northeast Nigeria through skills development, entrepreneurship training and improved access to economic opportunities.
The initiative, supported by the Government of Japan and implemented in collaboration with the state governments of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, will target 200 young people, with women accounting for at least 50% of the participants.
The programme aims to equip young people from communities affected by conflict and economic challenges with practical and financial management skills to establish sustainable livelihoods and develop income-generating businesses.
Training will be conducted at Olam Agri’s Crown Flour Baking Academy in Kano, which has established experience in bakery training and entrepreneurship development through its Crown Flour Angel (CFA) programme.
The initiative will be delivered in four batches, with each training session lasting two weeks.
Approximately 70% of the instructional time will be dedicated to practical baking exercises, while the remaining sessions will involve classroom-based learning led by professional instructors and specialists from Olam Agri’s product development team.
Participants will receive training in advanced baking techniques, product diversification, food safety, packaging, branding, costing, pricing and marketing.
The programme will also provide customized baking starter kits to enable participants to apply their newly acquired skills, improve product quality and consistency, and establish or expand their baking businesses.
The training forms part of Olam Agri’s broader Baking Brighter Futures initiative, a pan-African programme designed to develop baking skills and promote entrepreneurship across the continent.
Through its Crown Flour Angel programme, the company seeks to improve economic opportunities, particularly for women, by combining technical training with business development support.
Nitin Mehta, Head of Olam Agri’s Wheat Milling and Pasta business in Nigeria, highlighted the commercial potential of baking skills, noting that growing demand for quality baked products creates opportunities for young entrepreneurs to establish viable businesses.
The company will leverage its industry expertise and training infrastructure to help participants develop the capabilities required to serve the market.
The partnership also reflects UNDP’s efforts to connect recovery and resilience programmes with private-sector expertise.
Beyond the initial training, the organizations are exploring broader cooperation in sustainable food and feed value chains, youth and women enterprise development, technology transfer, innovation, market access and investment mobilization across Nigeria.
By combining development support with practical industry experience, the initiative seeks to create sustainable economic opportunities and strengthen community resilience in Northeast Nigeria.
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