By Joshua Odeyemi
Canada has announced a new initiative aimed at empowering women and youth in northern Nigeria, according to Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development of Canada.
In a statement shared with Daily Trust on Monday, Canada said the Resilient and Inclusive Agri-food Systems Empowering Women and Youth (RISE) project will directly support approximately 450 women- and youth-owned or led agribusinesses and 250 smallholder farmer cooperatives.
“The project will foster inclusive economic growth and resilience, and result in the creation of 8,000 jobs. With a budget of more than 20.2 billion naira (Can$19.2 million), this initiative seeks to economically empower women and youth, and enhance food security in Nigeria’s Bauchi, Kano and Kaduna states.
“It will improve the productivity and climate resilience of smallholder farmers in key agriculture value chains and raise the business performance of women- and youth-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises,” it said.
The 5-year project will be implemented by the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) of Canada, a non-governmental organisation, along with Nigerian partners.