ThriveAgric, an agricultural technology company in Nigeria, has partnered with Heifer International, a global nonprofit organisation to launch the AYuTe (Agriculture, Youth and Technology) project.
The project aims to empower 125,000 smallholder farmers across eight states in Nigeria such as Adamawa, Gombe, Yobe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Bauchi, with access to financial inclusion, according to a statement.
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“At ThriveAgric, our driving force has always been to empower smallholder farmers for a dignified livelihood,” Ayodeji Arikawe, co-founder at ThriveAgric, said.
He said by connecting smallholder farmers to the formal financial economy, the company is positioning them for better access to finance, credit, and digital services and introducing them to the formal economy, which has numerous other benefits in the long run.
“We are excited about this initiative we’re undertaking with Heifer International through the AYuTe Africa challenge and the long-term impact of this strategic partnership with VISA towards the creation of job opportunities and financial and social inclusion,” he added.
According to Arikawe, the company’s commitment to positively impact smallholder farmers and their immediate communities across Africa, will become even more evident through the project as it powers toward the goal of developing the largest network of profitable farmers in the continent.
Rufus Idris, country director at Heifer International, said inadequate access to financial services is a key barrier limiting smallholder farmers from improving farming practices, adopting innovation and increasing their production outputs.
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“We are excited about this opportunity to not only invest in ThriveAgric’s solutions but to scale up an agritech innovation that confronts financial inclusion challenges facing smallholder farmers in Nigeria.”
