Nigerian Government Teams Up with Chinese Firm, Trains 5,000 Women Nationwide in Modern Rice Farming Techniques
The federal government of Nigeria has entered into a partnership with Green Agriculture West Africa (GAWAL), a subsidiary of the Chinese General Construction Company (CGC), to launch a comprehensive training program for 5,000 women across the nation.
The focus of the training revolves around modern rice farming technology.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, revealed this collaboration during the graduation ceremony marking the completion of the first phase of the rice cultivation technology training program.
Speaking in Abuja, Mrs. Kennedy-Ohanenye emphasized the potential impact of the initiative, aiming to reduce poverty, enhance food sufficiency, and promote economic empowerment at the grassroots level.
Highlighting the strategic approach, the minister explained that the ministry would employ a bottom-up approach in its poverty intervention efforts, ensuring that the benefits reach the intended targets effectively.
The collaborative effort involves GAWAL providing high-yield rice varieties directly to women farmers along with pumping machines to facilitate efficient farming practices.
Mrs. Kennedy-Ohanenye expressed optimism about the project’s ability to cultivate enough food for Nigerians, revealing plans to document and share the progress of the project with the public.
The goal is to showcase the positive impact and instill hope in the community.
Addressing the broader implications, she stated, “70 per cent of the criminals and insecurity challenges we have are due to poverty, as a push factor because of idleness, but this project will create jobs for people to do and they will make their own money.”
Additionally, the ministry has established an online portal for the program, fostering collaboration between sellers, farmers, manufacturers, bankers, and other stakeholders in the marketing chain.
Mrs. Kennedy-Ohanenye emphasized the communal nature of the initiative, aiming to unite the nation with a shared purpose.
Wang Xiemin, the Managing Director of GAWAL, encouraged the beneficiaries of the training to apply their newly acquired skills and share them with others in their communities.
The training covered various aspects, ranging from land preparation to seed breeding, fertiliser application, and different agriculture chains.
The program seeks to equip women with the knowledge and tools needed for sustainable and innovative agricultural practices.
Source: Peoples Gazette
