Victor EzejaIn its quest to boost women entrepreneurship, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has stated that it would support 16 women cooperative societies in Niger with a N5.2 million grant to start agri-businesses.
Director-General, SMEDAN, Dr Dikko Radda, made this known in Minna, at the beginning of a one-week training on agri-business entrepreneurship for the benefiting groups tagged, “Starting your own business.’’
Radda, who was represented by Mrs Oluyomi Faniyan, the Assistant Director, Agri-Business Department, SMEDAN, stated that the programme was initiated by the agency under the Women in Self Employment Programme (WISEP).
He said, “We want to empower women to be self-sufficient in agriculture. We are going to train 160 women from 16 cooperative societies made up of ten members each.
“Right now, this training is running concurrently in Sokoto, Edo and Niger states.”
The Director-General disclosed that the programme would be implemented in all the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, with the aim of empowering more women in agriculture.
He explained that two weeks after the training the agency would provide the start-up grants of N325, 000 to each group, where every member would get N32,500 to start their agri-business.
Niger State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Ibrahim Panti, stated that the state, would under its 2020 to 2024 agriculture action plan, highlight the different roles of women and men in agriculture.
“The document is expected to drastically reduce the vulnerability of women to biases in agriculture.
“Also, it will address the unequal gender power relations and bridge the gender gap, improve the contribution of small holder farmers, who are predominantly women with low access base,” he said.
He assured of the state government’s support for the programme
The state’s Commissioner for Investment, Dr Jibrin Mustapha, who inaugurated the training, urged the beneficiaries to utilise the grant to encourage the federal government to do more.
Manager of SMEDAN in the state, Mr Folorusho Ibrahim said the groups were drawn from cooperatives in agriculture and shea butter producers.
Responding on behalf of the trainees, state Coordinator, Smallholder Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON), Mrs Grace Disa applauded SMEDAN for the gesture, and assured thatrpthe fund would be judiciously utilised.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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