–By Gertrude Onyekachukwu-Uteh and Ese Laura Oghene:

ALVIN OKECHUKWU MOKAOGWU is the CEO of Bikenenye Global Venture. He hails from Oshimili North Local Government Area. He has an HND in Business Administration. After years of unemployment, he became one of the pioneers of the Delta State Government’s Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) in crop production in the 2015/2016 Cycle. 

Six years after, he is still in business. He has his farm located in Ibusa where he cultivates cassava, yam and vegetable in commercial quantities. He combines farming with building technology, a skill he acquired from his uncle. His story: 

“I enrolled in YAGEP after years of unemployment and was established by the State Government to own and run a farm in crop production. Six years on, I have never stayed a year without farming. After my first harvest, I acquired two acres of land for expansion. 

“Proceeds from my farm have helped me to care for my family and to pay my children’s school fees. We get our food items fresh from the farm. So far, I have acquired another ten acres for expansion. I am a busy man; I combine farming with my job as a builder, a skill I acquired from my uncle. 

“Agriculture is the best sector to invest in right now if we look at it holistically. It is only through agriculture that one can feed the nation and guarantee food security. To me, YAGEP is successful and should be sustained by successive governments.”