Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), under the leadership of the Federal Government, has conducted training and empowerment programmes for selected women-owned farmers’ cooperative societies in Oyo State.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the primary objective of this initiative is to enhance the productivity and export potential of these farmers in the manufacturing and processing sectors within the state.

The Director-General, SMEDAN, Dr Olawale Fasanya, at the closing ceremony of the capacity building for the Women in Self-Employment Programme (WISE-P) in Ibadan, said the training was to enhance the production of high-quality foods.

Fasanya, who was represented by SMEDAN Deputy Director, Special Duties, Mr Tunde Oloyede, said that the programme included entrepreneurship and enterprise training, with a specific focus on Hazard and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and delivery of empowerment equipments.

According to him, the training package, designed to enhance the beneficiaries’ capacity, will not produce quality products that only meet the standards of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) but other international market requirements.

“This capacity building will also create a financial enablement for women cooperatives and their businesses on the needed sound footing for impact – in terms of pride, profit, and diversification.