Kwara commissioner for Women Affairs urges women to embrace agriculture, agro-processing
The Kwara State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Opeyemi Oluwakemi Afolashade, has urged women in the state to embrace agriculture and agro-processing, describing them as important opportunities in Nigeria’s evolving economy.
Afolashade made the call at the opening of a two-day capacity-building training on value addition and export competitiveness for women in spice and shea-based cosmetics, organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) at the Conference Hall of the Kwara State Ministry of Women Affairs.
The commissioner commended the NEPC management for its sustained efforts to integrate women into the non-oil export sector, noting that the initiative aligned with the development goals of the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the women empowerment agenda of the state’s First Lady, Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq.
She said Kwara was blessed with abundant agricultural products and high-grade spices, adding that women played a significant role in the production and export of shea-based and spice products.
However, she noted that many women entrepreneurs faced structural barriers, including substandard packaging, lack of regulatory certification and limited knowledge of international trade frameworks, which hindered their ability to benefit financially from exporting finished products.
Afolashade urged the participants to apply the knowledge gained during the training to grow their businesses and contribute to the state’s economy.
She also encouraged them to ask practical questions and network with facilitators to overcome challenges preventing them from expanding their businesses to meet international standards.
In his welcome address, the NEPC State Coordinator, Olu Ikulajolu, said the training was designed to promote inclusion, value addition and export competitiveness by equipping women with the skills, standards and market connections needed to compete internationally and earn foreign exchange.
Ikulajolu added that the selected entrepreneurs would be linked with the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) and the Technology Incubation Centre for technical support to expand their businesses.
The Executive Director of NSPRI, Professor Lateef Sanni, represented by Dr Ihum Temitope, commended the NEPC for organising the programme.
Sanni said the institute had developed equipment for processing spices and pledged its support in providing technical assistance to the participating entrepreneurs.
The training was attended by representatives of the NSPRI, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), IMPACTHER and the Nigerian Association of Women Entrepreneurs (NAWE), alongside staff of the Ministry of Women Affairs and selected female entrepreneurs.
