Business
Oxfam, VSO Celebrate Small-Scale Farmers
Six small-scale farmers received Awards of Excellence at the “Making Food Markets GROW” awards ceremony jointly organised by Oxfam and Volunteer Service Organisation (VSO), two international NGOs, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Our correspondent reports that the farmers were selected from a list of 65 nominees.
Mrs Susanna Godwin, emerged the winner in the “Female Food Hero Award” category while Mrs Briskila Jerome and Mrs Talatu Rohana, were placed second and third respectively.
In addition plaques, three women are to receive support services worth N150,000, N100,000 and N50,000 respectively, to ensure the sustainability and growth of businesses.
In the `Individual’ category of the award, Malam Baba Kaita, a fish farmer from Kaduna, emerged the winner with Shettima Sani and Seth Dakyen as runners up. They also received the same prizes as the women.
Hajia Zainab Maina, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, in her speech, commended Oxfam and VSO for celebrating the farmers, stressing that such gesture would inspire the winners and encourage other farmers to work harder.
She specifically appeciated the initiative to encourage women in agriculture, describing it as “laudable”.
Maina, who was represented by Mrs Elizabeth Emuren, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, stressed the need for more infrastructural investment in the rural areas to encourage and create opportunities for young people to engage in agriculture.
She said that the decision of the government to boost investment in agriculture was predicated on the fact that the sector remained the mainstay of the nation’s economy.
Maina also commended the various interventions by the CBN to ensure farmers’ access to agricultural financing and encourage farming in a sustainable manner.
Responding after receiving the award, Kaita said it was the outcome of an intensive training on fish farming and marketing he received from Oxfam, which had enabled him to achieve increased production and diversification.
“Mine is a success story because through the returns I make on my fish farm, I have invested in another business that is yielding high income and my family is progressing, Kaita said.
He expressed delight that the award came through food production.
“Without food can we have a market; a house without food is not a house; a local government without food is not a local government,” Kaita said.
He challenged all stakeholders in the agricultural sector to emulate the two organisations by working together to achieve a common goal on food and national security and for Nigeria to be food secure.
Also speaking, Godwin expressed gratitude Oxfam and VSO for the honour and recognition accorded them.
She described the award as a “challenge to work hard, harder and hardest”, noting that it was gratifying that their efforts were being observed and appreciated.
She also said that the ceremony should be a challenge to all Nigerians, adding: “if NGOs can do this what are the rest of Nigerians doing?”
Earlier, in an address of welcome, Mrs Kenna Owoh, the VSO Country Director, said the recognition became imperative because the awardees had shown exemplary and entrepreneurial skills and had contributed to food security programme of the government.
Owoh said that VSO believed that for women to contribute to and benefit from rural development, their economic empowerment must be considered alongside their political empowerment.
Mrs Kenna Owoh, the country director of an international NGO Volunteer Services Organisation (VSO) has stressed the need for rural women in developing countries to be economically empowered to attain political power.
She said that increased voice and influence for rural women would ensure that their needs and interests were reflected in policy formulation, service delivery and resource allocation.
“VSO believes that for women to contribute and benefit from rural development, their economic empowerment must be considered hand-in-hand with their political empowerment.
“In turn, increased income, earnings and access control over resources strengthens women’s means and authority to engage in decision making process.”
Owoh described gender inequality as a key driver of poverty in rural areas, adding that the inequalities were exacerbated by the current economic downturn, climate change and associated challenges of food and fuel insecurity, among others.
The director stressed the need for the authorities to reverse the trend by taking immediate action to ensure that rural women were given stronger voice in the design and delivery of rural policy and services.
In his remarks, Mr Tunde Ojei, the Oxfam Country Director, noted that small-scale farmers produced more than 75 per cent of food consumed in Nigeria and that women farmers constituted 60 per cent of the farmers.
Ojei observed that despite the importance of women in food production, rural women were “systematically” denied the resources and freedom of action to meet their basic needs.
He expressed confidence that hunger and poverty would end when women were fully empowered to build their capacity as the key change agent in the development of agriculture.
“Supporting women is fundamental to ending poverty and achieving peace in a sustainable manner,” Ojei said.
The winners will compete with other West African counterparts at the regional competition scheduled to hold in Abuja in June with a handsome 2,500-dollar prize at stake.
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.
Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.
By: Chinedu Wosu
Chivita| Hollandia (CHI Limited) leading fruit juice and value-added dairy manufacturer in Nigeria has rewarded its long standing distributors at the recently held 2024 Distributor Conference. The event with the theme, “Break Boundaries Exceed Expectations” served as a platform to recognise and reward the exceptional contribution of the distributors and wholesalers who play a critical role in Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) success and business goals for the year.
The Distributor Conference was held in two sessions. While the morning session featured keynote addresses, industry insights and brand immersion experience, the evening session was a cultural display of elegance and funfair that culminated in the award presentation and recognition of the contribution the trade partners made to the company in the 2023 year under review.
A key highlight of the event was the award ceremony which acknowledged outstanding trade partners in various regions across the country. The awards recognized commitment, dedication, and outstanding performance in areas of sales growth, brand promotion, and market expansion.
Eelco Weber, Managing Director, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), stated that the company’s success story is incomplete without the strong partnerships it has built with trade partners. “Today, we celebrate not only the achievements, but the collaborative spirit that has made our growth possible” he said.
Bola Arotiowa, Chief Commercial Officer, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), in his statement revealed that, the event which was first of its kind will continue to be an annual meeting to enable the company work more closely with its distributors, share insights and action points, help the trade partners familiarize themselves with the company’s goals and objectives for each year, and serve as a driver for mutual success.
“Our distributors are the backbone of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited). Their relentless efforts in distributing our products, promoting our brands, and expanding our reach across the nation is truly commendable. As the bridge between us and our valued consumers, it is very important to reward their hard work and dedication for being an essential part of the Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) family. Together, we will continue to deliver great products to our conusmers which in turn will deliver value to them”, Mr. Arotiowa added.
Speaking at the conference, HajiyaBilikisuSaida, Chief Executive Officer of Smabirm Nigeria Limited, who won the Outstanding Distributor of the Year in North 1 region, and got a reward of two million Naira worth of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) products expressed delight at the company’s recognition, and stated that the awards served as a way to inspire distributors to do more and put in more effort, which in turn would help both the distributors and the company to grow.
Other outstanding performance distributors of the year rewarded with a two million Naira worth of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) stock include, Sunny Chuks Limited for East 1 region, MRS FA & Sons Limited for East 2 region, Hussakas Ventures for North 2 region, Rookee 1388 Ventures for Lagos 1 region, Pik N Pil Ventures for Lagos 2 region, FaithJoe Event Management Limited for West 1 region, and Progress Family Nigeria Enterprise for West 2 region.
The annual Distributors Conference aims to strengthen the bond between Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) and its trade partners. This collaborative approach fosters mutual growth and ensures the continued success of the brands in the Nigerian market.
A global leader in insurance and asset management, AXA Mansard, has supported three female-owned MSMEs with business grants totaling 1.4 million to boost their operations.
This, the company said, is part of its commitment to women and the Medium, Small, and Medium-scale Enterprise (MSME) sector in the country.
The three businesses were successful at the International Women’s Day Pitch Competition, organised in partnership with SME 100 Africa in Lagos.
According to the Head of Marketing, AXA Mansard, Olusesan Ogunyooye, the competition, which is aimed at supporting female entrepreneurs in Nigeria, “is another way AXA is demonstrating its commitment to the causes of women and stimulating the MSME sector in Nigeria”.
The business pitch competition received numerous entries from women across different sectors, but after a rigorous selection process, shortlisted participants were selected to participate in the competition.
Ogunyooye said “the programme provided a unique opportunity for women from various works and socio-economic classes to showcase their innovative ideas and solutions in sectors such as food, tech, fashion, and fragrance, creating an atmosphere filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of community”.
He stressed the importance of investing in women, saying it is not just the right thing to do, but also aligns with AXA’s purpose of acting for human progress.
He explained that AXA believes the future of women should not be at risk, hence investing in their economic empowerment is a crucial part
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