Rolake Rosiji, the Chief Executive Officer, Jobberman Nigeria, has raised concern on the need for a marketing makeover in the agricultural sector.
The CEO shared this view during the virtual 2021 agriculture sector round table hosted by Jobberman in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and themed, ‘Harnessing technology and innovation to close the talent gap in the Nigerian agricultural sector’
Addressing concern on the misconception around the sector, she advocated for a revamp in the perception of agriculture; away from the notion that the jobs in the space are not for the youths.
What they are saying
According to Rosiji, the agricultural sector has for years been misconceived as one that only provides jobs for the old people. Hence, a lot of people are shying away from it.
She said, “People think of agriculture and they think of the old man in the field that is dusty and dirty, but actually agriculture is so much more than that and you can make money from this business. I think the first thing that needs to be done is marketing revamp of the entire sector; showing young people that you can make money from this business.”
Femi Balogun, lead researcher on the agriculture sector and skills gap reports, program manager, CODESRIA said the sector exists within a time warp because the sector simultaneously exist in three times; the past, the present and the future.
He said, “It exist in the past because a large part of how we practice agriculture is very traditional and it comes with brick and mortal way of doing things. Coming to the present, the trend presents both opportunity and a challenge.
“Technology is shaping the way work is done and the processes being applied globally. Covid is also another trend that has moved us into a digital age and so when we talk about future of an agriculture revolution shaped by technology, I feel like Covid has moved us into that space already as it present an opportunity for us to adopt technology and begin to innovate within the value chains.”
He added that this can in itself begin to produce opportunity not only to increase food production but also create jobs for young people and even make it more attractive to