The Federal Government has launched a national capacity-building workshop to empower women across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain. The initiative, led by the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, is in partnership with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The three-day workshop (August 27–29, 2025) features training on greenhouse farming, homestead gardening, post-harvest storage, financial literacy, and agribusiness. Speaking at the opening in Abuja, Sulaiman-Ibrahim described the programme as “a turning point” in dismantling systemic barriers against women in agriculture.
She noted that women constitute 70% of Nigeria’s agricultural workforce and produce 80% of output, yet earn 30% less, with only 10% owning farmland or accessing financing. “This exclusion may not always be deliberate, but it is real—and it ends now,” she declared.
At the centre of the reforms is the Women Agro Value Expansion (WAVE) Initiative, designed to empower 10 million women with resources and skills to thrive as entrepreneurs and leaders in the food system.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry and the OIC, reaffirming commitment to gender equality and food security. The Minister also commended private partner Mutual Commitment Company (MCC) for supporting the WAVE Consortium.
Marking 30 years of the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Beijing Platform for Action, the Minister urged women to seize new opportunities. “The policies are being reformed, the support systems are growing—but the real transformation lies in your hands,” she said.
The OIC’s Assistant Secretary-General, Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, pledged the organisation’s continued partnership. Dr. Abdul Falilat Ajoke, Director of OIC’s Social and Family Affairs Department, is leading its delegation at the event.
WAVE Chairman, Mr. Shittu Kabir, described the programme as a “game-changer” that will transform agriculture into a pathway for women’s economic independence.
Participants echoed this impact. Mrs. Dinatu Adiza Sani, a ginger and groundnut farmer from Abuja, said the training was timely: “I have been selling raw produce without processing or packaging. Now I’m learning how to add value and earn more.”
The Minister concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to positioning women as leaders and innovators in agriculture. “Your success is Nigeria’s success,” she said.
ADEOLA KUNLE
