The Bank of Agriculture (BoA) on Thursday in Kaduna, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sidi Osho Foundation (SOF) to promote women and youth innovation in Agriculture.

The Acting Managing Director of the Bank, Mr. Babatunde Igun, said that the MoU is a collaboration of partnership to create good links and progress for both organisations for effective service delivery in the agricultural sector.

“The of Agriculture is a development finance institution established by the federal government to provide Micro and Macro Loan facilities to individuals, Cooperatives groups, Corporate bodies, government institutions and agencies for agricultural, agro-allied, micro trading and manufacturing purposes.

“Sidi Osho Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting poverty alleviation and contributing to the growth and development of youth, women and under-represented groups,” Igun said.

Igun said the partnership is expected to address the nation’s challenges of food security, women and youth employment and boost wealth creation, entrepreneurship education for sustainable means of livelihood.

That, the Acting Managing Director said, would enable the segment of the Nigerian society to contribute their quota to national development.

According to him, the partnership would play a vital role in organising women and youth groups for full involvement in agricultural business and entrepreneurship.

He said the collaboration would boost employment, quality education, as well as vocational and technical training in addition to gender empowerment.

He expressed the bank’s determination to partner with strategic interest groups and organisations to deliver agricultural and entrepreneurship finances for youth and women.

Thus the bank introduced two products targeting this very important segment of the market by coming up with (YERM and GEM) which we are repackaging to meet current market needs.

He assured of the bank’s readiness to create similar projects to contribute to the nation’s food sufficiency.

Earlier, Prof. Sidi Osho, President of the foundation, said the project would focus on the agricultural value chain, from production, processing and marketing.

Osho said the partnership would transform the nation agriculture and food security through integrated farming approach in the six geopolitical zones.

She said her programme would empower the Nigerian women and youth in agriculture by achieving food security among communities as well as improve agriculture businesses.

It will also stimulate sustainable agriculture production system using technologies and modern services, she said.

Osho said the projects would equally stimulate agricultural market naturally and internationally by promoting export of agriculture produce.

“The objective of the project is to enhance food security, increase the income and economic empowerment of women and youth though the participation in the agricultural food value chain, using the PPP model in Nigeria,” she said.

Sidi Osho Foundation is a non-profit and non-faith social enterprise organisation established in 2014 to promote growth of human development and alleviate puberty in Africa.

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