SWEAN project trains women entrepreneurs in Zaria and Ibadan

Support Women Entrepreneurship in the Agrifood sector in Nigeria (SWEAN) has concluded the training of 293 women in Ibadan, Oyo State and Zaria, Kaduna State, to help address the gender imbalance in the agro-food processing sector in Nigeria.

The training aimed to develop the skills of women agripreneurs and increase their access to local and international markets. The expertise of personnel from the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigerian Stored Product Research Institute (NSPRI), Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SMEDAN), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and IITA were leveraged to train the women entrepreneurs.

The training took place at two different venues in each state to adhere to COVID-19 safety measures: the Akinwunmi Adesina building of IITA and Ibadan/Ibarapa Zonal Office of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), Apata, Oyo State; and National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Service (NEARLS) and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Kaduna State.

Participants were divided into six cohorts of 25 women each, who attended eight training sessions. The topics were food processing and fortification, branding and packaging of products, NAFDAC regulatory requirements and procedure for registration of food products, food standards, financials and accounting principles, record keeping, marketing, and leadership and management of successful agribusiness.

Sougrynoma Zaïnatou Soré, the Project Coordinator, emphasized the importance of the training, "Women often have the least access to information, services, and training to improve their agricultural activities. The SWEAN project has chosen to focus particularly on women, including marginalized groups, to enhance their skills in critical areas that would boost their businesses and increase their revenues."

Halima Adediran, one of the participants, said the training was a much-needed educative process where she has learned the rudiments of a successful business. She also appreciated the organizers for making the process of learning so easy and enjoyable.

Effective training was achieved through presentations and lectures and, in some cases, samples of materials as teaching aids. Each session of the training captured shared experiences, questions, answers, and comments.

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