Nigerian Government, UN Partner on Digital Agriculture for Rural Women

The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (FMWA) has disclosed plans to partner with the United Nations (UN) Women to harness the benefits of digital agriculture for rural women in Nigeria.

The Minister, FMWA, Mrs Pauline Tallen, made this known when she received the new UN-Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Beatrice Eyong, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Speaking, the minister noted that the digital agriculture platform of the UN-Women aligns with the Ministry’s World Bank assisted project on women economic empowerment tagged “Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP).”

Tallen pointed out that the main challenge affecting women was poverty, calling on the government and other stakeholders to prioritize and channel resources toward addressing it.

She said, “If the government could focus more on empowering women, it will not only change the lives of women alone, but jump-start the economy. More resources should be devoted to women empowerment projects.
Once a woman is empowered, the home and lifestyle of her family will change and the nation will be healthier and better-off.”

A statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, of the ministry, Mr Olujimi Oyetomi, revealed that the minister stressed the need for more support and advocacies for the empowerment of many more Nigerian women, especially those in the rural areas.

On her part, Eyong said the digital agriculture platform would enhance economic and financial capacities of rural communities, adding that it will also introduce beneficiaries to the digital economy and prepare them for climate change.

According to her, the UN women digital agriculture platform had been applied in Mali, Senegal and other parts of Africa with attendant successes to the benefit of rural women farmers and even men.

Furthermore, Eyong disclosed that her agency in Nigeria is developing a new strategy note as plan for the next five years on the needs of women, girls and the vulnerable in the country.

Agro Nigeria