The Plateau State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Musa Ibrahim Ashoms, has encouraged youths to embrace farming and artificial intelligence (AI) to secure their future.
Ashoms made the call on Tuesday during the International Youth Day 2025 celebration in Jos, themed “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”.
The Commissioner highlighted the importance of youth-led initiatives in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).
He noted that youth-led agricultural cooperatives are boosting food production and jobs in all 17 local government areas of the state, adding that young peace advocates are also preventing conflict through dialogue, while youths are advancing business, mental health, environmental care, and gender equity.
“In all the 17 LGAs of Plateau state, youth-led agricultural cooperatives are boosting food production and jobs. Young peace advocates prevent conflict through dialogue. Across schools and communities, youth are advancing business, mental health, environmental care, and gender equity. These efforts embody the Plateau spirit of resilience and ingenuity”, Ashoms stated.
The commissioner also highlighted the potential of AI in driving innovation and securing the future of youth and emphasised the government’s efforts to support youth development through agriculture and technology.
“The Plateau Youth Agricultural Empowerment Program (P-YAEP) equips hundreds of youths with skills for sustainable agribusiness, aligning with SDGs like ending hunger and promoting decent work. The potential of agriculture and AI in driving innovation and securing the future of youths is not in doubt and that’s why we must embrace them now “, the commissioner stated
Ashoms further stressed the need for collaboration and structural support to sustain youth empowerment initiatives. “Development demands collaboration. Governments must open doors, schools must teach problem-solving, businesses must partner, and youth must deliver solutions,” he said.
The Special Adviser to the Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, on Youth Development, Hitler Pwajok, confirmed that Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s administration had fulfilled its promise to involve youths in governance.
“The government has made significant strides in involving youths in governance, with 60% of appointments and elective positions allocated to young people.
“The government has initiated agricultural development projects, including the Back-to-Farm initiative, which aims to engage 15,000 to 20,000 youths in agriculture and agro-industrial chains. The target is to cultivate 2,500 hectares of land by next year and 3,500 hectares by 2027 “, he added
