The CEO of Shield Africa Sustainable Development Initiative, Mr. Osenaga Orokpo, made this call during a media parley in Abuja on Wednesday, October 9.
“These interesting times are hitting Nigeria even harder because of the population,” Orokpo said. “If we don’t take that step now, I think we’re going to run into a disaster really quickly.”
He noted that the core of Shield Africa’s mission is based on the five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): zero poverty, zero hunger, quality education, gender equality and climate action.
“Agriculture has a very important role to play” in addressing hunger and poverty, Mr. Orokpo said, underscoring the important role of agriculture in addressing these issues.
The initiative provides training on good agricultural practices and subsidized access to essential agricultural inputs.
“These initiatives are essential to strengthen production, improve productivity and ultimately increase farmers’ incomes,” the CEO said.
To complement these efforts, Shield Africa has announced the launch of the Agripreneur of the Year Award. The initiative will award £2m each to young entrepreneurs in the agricultural value chain, enabling them to scale up production.
The CEO added: “The time has come to recognize and recognize the efforts of young farmers who produce the food we all eat.”
"That project will help highlight the need to promote agriculture to achieve zero hunger,” Orokpo said.
He said various initiatives are being implemented, including a produce distribution project in Oju, Benue State, where 450 rice farmers, 30% of whom are women, are being supported.
Women’s participation in agriculture and government cooperation
She also addressed important issues surrounding women’s participation in agriculture and the impact of floods.
Emphasizing the importance of women’s role in development, Ms. Orokpo said, “Women play a very important role…If you want to be a champion of development, you have to have a passion for development.”
To empower women, the initiative aims to customize training sessions to women’s specific needs, often scheduling them in the evening when they are more available.
Referring to the recent floods in Nigeria, Orokpo said: “We are very touched by the loss of some crops and of course some lives in the various areas affected by the floods.” and lamented the destruction of crops and livelihoods.
