SMEDAN Seeks to Support Women in Agric Sector

The Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda, has reiterated the agency’s resolve to ensure that women are empowered to achieve improved productivity and livelihood sustainability along the agricultural value chain.

The Director General made this remark at the end of the vocational training held for women groups and cooperatives in farming and agro processing held in Kaduna recently Radda in a statement made available to THISDAY, said the objective of the Women in Self-Employment Programme (WISE-P) was to facilitate access of women farmers to resources required to enhance their farming activities with a view to making it viable and sustainable.

Radda said: “The programme also intends to expose women farmers to practical hands on training on the use of modern farming techniques.

“WISE-P Programme would also expose women farmers to modern value addition techniques and facilitate access to finance as well as to promote market linkages.”

On its reach to beneficiaries across Kaduna, he added that four cooperative societies drawn from Jaba and Igabi Local Government areas of Kaduna state were beneficiaries of the WISE-P initiative of SMEDAN, they are Zanja Cooperative Society, AGM Women Cooperative Society, ZEDTEN

Agro Cooperative Society and Al ihsan Multipurpose Cooperative Society. Similar Entrepreneurship/Vocational training and Strategic support to Women in Self-Employment, WISE-P also took place in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state where the state manager Ms. Lucy Ekpenyong represented the DG SMEDAN, Dr Dikko Umaru Radda.

Four cooperative societies drawn from Okobo and Urua Local Government areas namely: Pearl Nsuka Offot Cooperative Society; ten members of Gospel Cooperative Society, OKOPED Great Ladies Cooperative Society and Precious Ladies Cooperative Society benefited from the SMEDAN’s WISE-P programme in Akwa Ibom State.