Kogi State Trains 50,000 Women, Youths On Potato Production

Kogi State Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA) on Wednesday, launched the ‘Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) programme, with the training and empowerment of women and youths in the state.

The State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who inaugurated the programme, congratulated the head and management of KEDA for the positive impact the agency has made within two years of its operation.

Bello, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Folashade Ayoade, urged the beneficiaries to take the training very seriously as it would increase their socio-economic well-being, the state and the nation at large.

The Governor assured the agency of government’s support to all its empowerment programmes especially as the 70 per cent beneficiaries were women.

He urged the beneficiaries to intensify their efforts at ensuring the success of the OFSP programme so as to set a new record of exports.

”Let us not repeat the error of Cocoa and Palm tree, let us set a new record of ensuring that the OFSP will be produced to the maximum not just for Kogi but Nigeria at large, and for exportation.

“Let our focus be towards exporting the OFSP products out of Nigeria,” he said.

Open door policy

Earlier, the Managing Director of KEDA, Hajia Rekiyat Sanni, said the launch of the OFSP training and empowerment programme for women and youths, was organised in commemoration of the two years of operation of the agency.

She said the agency is established by law under the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to facilitate and enhance recovery of Small and Medium Enterprises in the state.

She stressed that the vision of the agency is to grow businesses of the people of Kogi State especially women, under cooperative societies, saying the agency runs an open door policy.

She noted that 70 per cent of the beneficiaries of the various programmes of the agency were women, and urged beneficiaries to get the value addition from the OFSP products.

Economic value of OFSP

In separate remarks, the State Commissioners for Agric, Mr David Apeh and Commerce & Industry; Mr Gabriel Olofu, commended KEDA for the initiative.

They both stressed that the OFSP products have great economic value which harnessed, would go a long way in boosting the economy of the state and Nigeria at large.

Apeh, assured that adequate attention would be given to the OFSP production by the State Government, adding that the Agric Ministry would be partnering with KEDA and other relevant stakeholders to get the desired results.

KEDA organised a Breakfast Chat with Journalists, where the MD highlighted the agency’s achievements for the past two years of operation.

Sanni disclosed that about 50,000 persons have been registered and sensitised by the agency for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) entrepreneurship scheme across the state.

Emmanuel Ukoh