NGO, govt to empower youth, women in agriculture
By Tosin Kolade
Shield Africa, a non-profit organisation, has announced a partnership with the government to empower youth and women in agriculture, with the goal of improving food security in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of Shield Africa, Mrs Osenaga Orokpo, made the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.
She said that the organisation was committed to driving sustainable development across Nigeria and Africa by empowering local communities, particularly women and youth.
“Through strategic interventions in agriculture, entrepreneurshipand education, we aim to address critical challenges such as food insecurity, poverty and climate change.
“Our initiatives foster innovation and collaboration, contributing to a more equitable and sustainable future for Africa.’’
She noted that the National Agricultural Growth Scheme, unveiled by President Bola Tinubu, aimed to boost agriculture and achieve zero hunger in the country.
“We are aware of recent initiatives by President Tinubu’s administration to support young farmers and strengthen food security.
“During the 6th Africa-Wide Agricultural Extension Week, the president launched the National Agricultural Growth Scheme – Agro-pocket, which provides millions of farmers with training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and more.
“In support of these efforts, Shield Africa is launching the Agripreneur of the Year Awards, where young entrepreneurs in the agricultural value chain will receive N2 million each to scale up their production.’’
She said that, since the government had initiated this effort, Shield Africa recognised the need to align its work with the government’s goals.
Orokpo emphasised that the focus was on supporting farmers with the necessary inputs to produce the nutritious food the continent requires.
“Shield Africa is aligning with this through a project called the Young Agripreneur Financing Projects, which identifies young people aged 18-35 who have started agricultural ventures.
“We assist them in accessing finance to expand their operations.’’
Orokpo also highlighted priority projects like the Agro-Inputs and Distribution Projects, which were currently being implemented in Benue–where they were working with 450 rice farmers, 30 per cent of whom were women.
She also spoke on the issue of flooding across the country.
“These are challenging times across the continent and Nigeria is particularly affected due to our population.
“If we don’t take decisive steps now, we risk disaster, especially in terms of food security.
“We are aware of the devastation floods bring, not just to human life but also to crops; this calls for significant collaboration and commitment,’’ she said.
She added that Shield Africa was engaging with states and local governments hardest hit by floods and would unveil humanitarian campaigns to support affected communities with food, water and medical supplies. (NAN)Â
Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo
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