The Federal Government has successfully concluded its Agricultural Empowerment Programme for women across six South-South States, culminating in a grand launch of Project “Earn From The Soil” in Delta State.
This project is geared towards transforming agriculture and enhancing food security in the region through the promotion of cooperative formation and commodity-based clustering.
Speaking at the launch, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, South-South, Hon. Gift Johnbull, noted that the project is in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. She noted that the initiative would focus on food security, agricultural growth, and the economic empowerment of women, particularly in the South-South region.
“This event marks a critical step forward in our collective effort to economically empower women,” Johnbull said. “As we embark on this journey together, let us harness our resources, our fertile lands, and our people’s ingenuity to build a prosperous, food-secure, and equitable Delta State.”
She further stated that the Federal Government aims is to reach over 500,000 smallholder farmers, agribusinesses, and fisherfolk, with a focus on empowering women.
According to her, the project aims to increase agricultural productivity through sustainable farming practices and enhance the value of agricultural and aquacultural products by promoting processing and packaging.
Additionally, the project seeks to establish robust market linkages for women farmers and foster cluster projects to promote entrepreneurship in agribusiness and create opportunities along the agricultural value chain.
In his remarks, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Community Development in Delta State, Emakpor Odogu, highlighted the timeliness of the event, stating: “When you are hungry and you have a means to get on, and you have a deliberate course of action, it then means you have hope.”
Odogu emphasized the women’s economic empowerment policy as a key component of this federal initiative, describing it as a “deliberate course of action” being put in place to alleviate hunger. He noted that this aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of zero tolerance for hunger and expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for bringing such an initiative to Delta State.
The launch of the WEE Policy and the “Earn From The Soil” project is expected to position Delta State as a leader in agricultural development, setting a benchmark for sustainable economic growth through women’s empowerment in the South-South region.