The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has empowered through capacity building, a total of 70 Ekiti community women in agro-related businesses.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, this was revealed by SMEDAN Assistant Director for Agriculture Business Development and Extension in Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Oloyede, during the commencement of the second batch of Women in Self Employment Programme (WISE-P).
What they are saying: Commenting on the recent development, Mr. Oloyede said, “What we are doing is a deliberate shift from oil to agriculture, which is more sustainable.
“There is an issue of food insecurity that is already threatening the nation. This is a direct intervention in this direction through SMEDAN.”
Why it matters: The latest development is in line with the concerted efforts by the Federal Government to facilitate food security and uplift rural women out of poverty by providing them with the necessary skills, knowledge and capacity to maximize opportunities available in the agricultural value chain.
Mr. Oloyede further explained why the training was targeted at women, stating that it was due to their active involvement in the processing of agro-allied products.
What you should know
- SMEDAN had earlier announced its intention to empower women through capacity training in the agricultural value chain, noting that WISE-P was formed, to among other things: Facilitate access of women farmers to resources and finance which will enhance their farming activities, and expose them to modern value addition techniques as well.
- Participants and beneficiaries were drawn from agricultural food processing and marketing sectors in the state.