As part of the efforts to engender food security and stimulate agribusiness in Nigeria, the global multi-energy firm – TotalEnergies, has partnered with the Committee for Women Empowerment (CWE) to empower women farmers operating in Ogun, Oyo and Lagos states.
The women empowerment programme, tagged, “Agribusiness Project 2021” was organised by the International Federation of Training and Development Organisations (IFTDO) in partnership with TotalEnergies with the initiative of Committee for Women Empowerment established by IFTDO for African and Asian countries.
Speaking at the orientation programme and disbursement of funds to smallholder farmers in Abeokuta recently, Janet Jolaoso, Nigeria Chairman of IFTDO-CWE, Africa and Asia, noted that the programme was meant to train and empower women farmers in Nigeria with a view to ensuring means of livelihood for women farmers and food security for Nigerians as a whole.
Jolaoso, who explained that 18 farmers were selected in some local communities from Ogun, Oyo and Lagos states, noted that empowerment is an annual socio-economic intervention initiated by IFTDO and TotalEnergies through Committee for Women Empowerment (CWE) to empower women by improving their skills, knowledge and self-worth.
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She said, “In 2019, in fulfilment of the MoU signed with the United Nations (UN), the International Federation of Training and Development Organisations (IFTDO) and the Committee for Women Empowerment established this women empowerment programme. We want to help give women a voice, to also initiate programmes that can impact and empower them.
“We started in December 2019 and so far, we have been to different agricultural organisations and with the TotalEnergies supporting us, we’re empowering today,18 women farmers from local communities in Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states.
“We have presented them cheques of N250,000 each from TotalEnergies and we shall give them (women) monitoring advice and training, just like we are doing now and Orientation. So after the Orientation, we will give them knowledge on Agronomy, Farming System and others that will help them in fishery, poultry and vegetable farming.”
Responding on behalf of the 18 women farmers and beneficiaries, Bilikisu Bello and Yoko Alice explained that the women empowerment programme came at the right time when smallholder farmers and Nigerian women need training and funds to sustain Agribusiness and food security for the country.
The farmers, who lauded TotalEnergies and IFTDO-CWE for not only training farmers on skills and knowledge needed for farming but also disbursing funds to the tune of N4.5 million, appealed to the government at all levels to emulate the gesture giving worthy empowerment and socio-economic interventions to farmers and business owners.
