Spirited by economic hardship in the country, the Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited has empowered Women in Agriculture in South West states farming as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in order to boost their performance in the agricultural sector.
As 10 women received Honda land tilling machines, water pump machines and motorised backpack spraying machines, free of charge as the women went home with smiling faces and excitement.
The event, which was held at Ikeja, Lagos, featured different categories of women in agriculture, titled ‘Empowering Women in Agriculture’, organised by Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited.
The Managing Director, Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited, Mr. Tetsuya Kawai, said the programme aimed at supporting and celebrating the vital roles of women in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, which provided the women with equipment, trainings to boost their productivity and income. It featured Keynote addresses, interactive sections, workshops and showcase of local women-led agricultural projects.
He said Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited understands the fact that Nigerians face difficulties in agricultural sector and in Nigeria society at large and decided to empower women to make the life of Nigerians better.
“In Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited we want to contribute to the development and improvement of the Nigeria larger society”.
He said women contribute more to the up keep of the family and Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited machines would help them more than their previous performances. Divisional Manager, at Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited in Charge of Sales and Customer Services, Mr. Olabode Badenjo, said Honda manufacture different kind of products, such as vehicles, motorcycles among others. But the company discovered that customers of these products are mostly men.
However, he said the company decided to come up with a programme that would benefit women more than men adding that since then Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited has been recruiting more women into the organisation.
He said towards this, the company has started to manufacture more agricultural machines such as tractors, land tilling machines and water pumping machines among others in order to help women and contribute to economic growth of the country especially this time of economic hardship in the country.
He said this is the first time Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited is hosting such programme adding that it would last for five years to ensure it get women farmers including those in rural areas.
Consultant Climate Change and Technical Team Lead to Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, Prof. Chinwe Obuaku, said there is need for women farmers to sign a cominique and present it to the Governor to ensure food security in South West states adding that the Governor is a listening Governor.
She said the communiqué would enable all Governors in South West states to organise a town hall meeting that would benefit and empower more women in all the states especially at the grassroots levels.
She said that when you empower women you have empowered the nation, therefore there is need to get to more local women farmers in order to sustain food security in the states.
She lamented that Nigerians are over dependent on food importation adding that this programme would end food importation in Nigeria and improve the economy of the country.
